'It's just something you have to feel", says Tony Joe White in his deep slow Southern drawl as he tries to describe the distinctive style of his music that has become his trademark. In the early' '70's when 'Polk Salad Annie', 'Soul Francisco' and 'Willie and Laura Mae Jones' were climbing the charts, White was nicknamed the 'Swamp Fox' and his sound was called 'Swamp Music'. "I guess that's good a label an any", he says. "I really don't like to analyse my music. As soon as you hear it, you know it's me".
Those who have tried to analyse White's music have all come to the unanimous decision that it is a unique category all of its own. While it cannot be labeled strictly country, pop or soul, it can be described as honest, moving and sensuous blending of each form into a special essence all its own.
The music and lyrics stimulate the imagination. You can almost see the muddy swamps and cottonfields, even if you've never been there - and even before his lyrics show them to you. When White's words do come, they tell a story; clear, human and friendly.
White's songs are caracter sketches of life's losers and misfits, their sorrow and confusions told with a humour that gives hope and vitality. It is a sensitive perception with which White views life and shares his insigh with others that has endcared him by his fans and established him as one of the best chroniclers of the American way of life.
"I've allways written about things I see, things I feel, things amused me", White says. "It's my translation of the music back home and my surroundings they've all reflected in my sound somewhere".
"Back home" is Goodwill, Louisiana where Tony Joe White in born on July 23. Goodwill is made up of a poolhall, cotton gin, cafe, three stores and a church. There were five sisters and one brother and everyone including Momma and Daddy play music. "I never picked up until I was 16 years old", he says. "I heard a record by Lightnin' Hopkins an old blues singer and player and I was hooked on the guitar from then on. My daddy showed me three chords and I knew what to do.
"The first group I had was called "Tony Joe White and the Mojos" and we played the school dances and cafe's around Louisiana". They eventually headed west to Texas and played awhile, when they broke up. White settled down in Corpus Cristy and got a solo gig in a club. I finaly got tired of doing other peoples songs and started writing my own", he says. "My wife and I saved enough money for me to take a trip to Nashville to see if someone would listen. As luck would have it, it was not long before Tony had secured both an exclusive songwriting contract and a recording deal.
White's first release, 'Soul Francisco' on Monument became a smash in France, gaining him popularity in Europe. Then came 'Polk Salad Annie', which reached the coveted No.1 spot on the country charts and crossed over into the pop and soul charts. The song was covered by Tom Jones and Elvis Presley. Presley also recorded Tony Joe White's 'I've Got A Thing About You, Baby' and 'For Ol' Times Sake'.
Tony Joe White's masterpiece, however, is 'Rainy Night In Georgia'. "Brook Benton sang 'Rainy Night' so good I couldn't believe it was my song", Tony said dramatically. "Over 80 versions heve been recorded so far, including one by Ray Charles, and that knocks me out"
Through the years White ha heard over one-hundred-and-fifty of his songs recorded by such varied artists as Isaac Hayes, Dusty Springfield, Charlie Rich, Tanya Tucker, Bobby Goldsboro, Wild Cherry, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and Jackie Ward.
In recent years Tony Joe has toured overseas to Europe, Australia and Japan, where he has an enormous cult following. He loves to travel and future plans include more tours, songwriting and a new excursion into movies.
White is a basic individual who enjoys the simple pleasures of life. He is a devoted family man who lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with his wife and three children. Much of the leisure time is spent together hunting, fishing and raising horses on their ranch in the Ozark Mountains.
Whether it is the mystic quality of his music, the sensitivity with which it is played or his natural charisma, Tony Joe White possesses the power to totally captivate an audience. "You can't listen to swamp music without being moved", Tony says.
"He's definitely a crowd pleaser, especially with the ladies", said a Memphis DJ recently. "He just can't help it. He's a natural".
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