Tony Joe White

TONY JOE WHITE

In 1969, Tony Joe White brought his brand of Swampy Blues into a Top 10 hit with his song “Polk Salad Annie.” This was followed very shortly in 1970, by Brook Benton’s soulful rendition of White’s timeless “Rainy Night In Georgia.”

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s White toured in support of artists including Creedence Clearwater Revival and James Taylor. In the 1990s Tina Turner recorded four of his songs for her multi-platinum selling album Foreign Affairs, including the world-wide hit “Steamy Windows”. With the advent of that project, White formed an alliance with Turner’s manager, Roger Davies and his career began to soar.

In Europe, White gained legendary status following a successful debut at the historic Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. His European following has spawned a career that has spanned the decades.

In 1991 he issued the Closer To The Truth album and spent the next two years touring Europe in support of Eric Clapton and Joe Cocker, among others. He cut two more albums, 1993’s Path Of A Decent Groove and 1995’s Lake Placid Blues, the latter garnering the first of two nominations for “Best R & B Album” from the Nashville Music Awards.

In 1999, White went back to his roots and recorded One Hot July, in the swamps of Louisiana. He then toured Australia and Europe once again in support of the critically acclaimed album. In 2001, he released The Beginning – a stripped- down acoustic album that received worldwide recognition and five star ratings in virtually every country.

Most recently Tony Joe White has released The Heroines and the critically acclaimed new album “Uncovered” both have been released on his own label, Swamp Records.

“Uncovered” features Tony Joe White at his finest. The album features dear friends of the timeless musician; each of these visitors himself an icon. These featured musicians include Mark Knopfler, who’s playing dovetails with Tony Joe on “Not One Bad Thought.” Eric Clapton follows on “Did Somebody Make a Fool Out of You,” finding a different perspective yet also providing a perfect complement to White. On “Baby, Dont Look Down” Michael McDonald proves once again why he is the outstanding blue-eyed soul crooner of our time. The elusive J. J. Cale snakes through the prowling groove of “Louvelda.” Most notably on this album is the late Waylon Jennings, who joins Tony Joe for a timeless performance of the previously unrecorded, “Shakin the Blues,” in one of Waylon’s final studio appearances. Add legendary Memphis Horns to a couple of tracks and you’ve exceeded the hero’s quota for any one album.

Even with the amazing addition of these artists, the focus here stays tight on Tony Joe. The tracks, most of them cut late at night at his studio south of Nashville, are raw and rough, as they should be. Emotions overflow in his vocals, spilling from each melody like rivers washing out their banks: sensual on “Run for Cover”, defiant on “Rebellion”, and enlightened by life’s painful lessons in “Taking the Midnight Train”. On “Keeper of the Fire” he pulls heat from the embers of blues and sings it softly back, like pictures blown in smoke. And he delivers, at long last, the definitive recording of his classic “Rainy Night in Georgia”, in one flawless take. These performances are the culmination of a lifetime spent in music. A breathy lifetime of swampy blues.

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