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Backwaters rockstar
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The trailblazer who revolutionised guitar technique
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GUITAR KING Tony Joe White
One of the best exponents of the late 60s 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 16, White began playing music and formed Tony and the Mojos. His next contraption was called Tony and the Twilights which moved house to Texas. 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 1969 he hit the top 10 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 90s albums, ‘Closer to the Truth’ and ‘Path of a Decent Groove’ were successful in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. 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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