| Portrait of Tony Joe White. | ||
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Portrait of Tony Joe White
Creedence undertakes a gigantic tour and on the announcing poster the first name to appear is 'Tony Joe White'. This means that the, for many, dazzling name of Creedence will finally allow Tony Joe White to stand on stage every evening for several thousands of people and this in all the theatres of the world. This tour has now ended and it certainly was fructuous: the public now knows Tony Joe White at large. Amongst the crucial moments in the career of Tony Joe White is first of all his place of birth: Oak Grove, in Louisiana. The environment in which he is raised is the South of the United States. Very important are the cotton-fields, bathing in sunlight, the swamps in the district, dark and invested with more or less determined animals: that is where the years of childhood were spend and, without making any exceptions, this leaves its trace. Then of course there is also his family; every member plays an instrument. As the youngest of seven children he picks the guitar. And far from throwing himself on the attractive path of researching musicality or striving for celebrity, he decides to do what thousands have done before him: sing the blues. He chose the guitar to express an atmosphere, a mood that only an inhabitant of the South can be aware of; and he has no intentions to use his guitar for any other purposes. Who would know his capacities? Right from the beginning he has voluntary quartered himself into narrow territories and evading these would mean that he would become a festival singer with all the negative associations that go with this term. Some years went by. In 1968 France discovers two of his best songs: "Soul Francisco" and "Polk Salad Annie". Vigilant for success, the radio's excitement is enormous. The United States will follow, although a little later. Tony Joe White becomes a star whom one listens to passionately for one summer, and who is then forgotten until the next album. Maybe this is due to the fact that he appeared single at the time when group performance was required. Or maybe it was due to his music evolving between laid-back country and soul, missing any profound revolutionary depth for that period. Yet it is true to say that the bass and the percussion are rarely used in such a benumbing manner. Then again a miracle happened: the great Elvis as well as the small Tom Jones covered Polk Salad Annie. Unnecessary to explain what the effect of this action was. The number of fans increased rapidly, the sad period of darkness is well over and it is due to unexpected opportunities such as the opportunity to tour with Creedence that people will be able to experience the tonnes of feeling that this raw and velvet voice contains, as well as this vague and tormented wha-wha. Let's hope that this new popularity is not as damaging to him as it was to his predecessors, and that he will be able to avoid the regrettable pseudo-evolution of those that do not posses the means. Discography 33 tours: 'Black and White' Monument 921032 'Tony Joe White Continued' Monument 940013 'Tony Joe' Monument 940047 'Tony Joe White' Warner Bros 46068 |
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Pierre Jahiel 1993 |
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