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Backwaters rockstar
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Rock revisited The trailblazer who revolutionised guitar technique
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Tony Joe White
One of the best exponents of the late sixties country-rock style known as swamp or bayou rock, Tony Joe White was the only one who actually came from the Louisiana bayous and rose to national reckoning. At age sixteen, White began playing music and f
ormed Tony and the Mojos. His next contraption was called Tony and the Twilights which moved house to Texas but did not continue as an outfit for much twilight. The group disbanded and White remained a solo singer/ songwriter following that.
He moved to Nashville, made the rounds of music publishers and eventually hooked up with Billy Swan, who produced White’s first three albums. White’s first two singles, Georgia Pines and Watching the trains go by went without a trace. The single that brought about a change in fortunes was Soul Francisco which was a big European hit in 1967. White continued to be a major recording and performing star in Europe for the next five years (in 1972 he toured Europe with the unparalleled outfit, Creedence Clearwater Revival). In 1969 he hit the top ten with the single Polk Salad Annie, which showcased White’s deep, gruff voice and the stylised guitar technique he called ‘Whomper Stomper’. Despite several TV appearances, it was White’s last hit in the U.S. Ironically several White songs were hits for other artists. Elvis Presley covered Polk Salad Annie (as did Ton Jones) and I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby. In 1969 Dusty Springfield had a major hit with White’s Willie and Laura Mae Jones and a year later Brook Benton made it to the top five with A Rainy Night in Georgia. Another subsequent hit was Tanya Tucker’s Steamy Windows.
Two of his early nineties albums, Closer to the Truth and Path of a Decent Groove, were successful in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. These compilations, for reasons known only to the artist, were not released in the U.S. He returned with a U.S release only in 2000 called, One Hot July, that projected a soulful sensuality and mirrored White’s superb guitar playing.
A. GEORGE ANTONY
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