has parlayed his songwriting talent into a modestly successful country and rock career in Europe as well as America. Born July 23, 1943, in Goodwill, LA,
was born into a part-Cherokee family. He began working clubs in Texas during the mid-'60s and moved to Nashville by 1968.
, featured his Top Ten pop hit "Polk Salad Annie" and another charting single, "Roosevelt and Ira Lee (Night of the Moccasin)." That same year,
's "Rainy Night in Georgia" that hit number four early in 1970; the song has since become a near-standard with more than 100 credits.
's own "Groupie Girl" began his European success with a short stay on the British charts in 1970.
White moved to Warner Bros. in 1971, but success eluded him on his three albums:
Tony Joe White,
The Train I'm On, and Homemade Ice Cream. Other stars, however, continued to keep his name on the charts during the 1970s:
Elvis charted with "For Ol' Times Sake" and "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" (Top Five on the country charts), and
Hank Williams, Jr. took "Rainy Night in Georgia" to number 13 on the country charts.
White himself recorded
Eyes for 20th Century Fox in 1976, but then disappeared for four years. He signed to Casablanca for 1980's
The Real Thang but moved to Columbia in 1983 for
Dangerous, which included the modest country hits "The Lady in My Life" and "We Belong Together."
White was inactive through much of the '80s, but worked with
Tina Turner on her 1989
Foreign Affair album, writing four songs and playing guitar and harmonica. He released
Closer to the Truth a year later for his own Swamp label and toured with
Eric Clapton and
Joe Cocker to very receptive French crowds (
Closer to the Truth has sold 100,000 copies in that country alone). His 1993 album
Path of a Decent Groove was released only in France, though Warner's
The Best of Tony Joe White earned an American release the same year.
Lake Placid Blues (1995) and
One Hot July (1998) were Europe-only efforts until 2000, when Hip-O Records brought out
One Hot July in the U.S., giving
White his first new major-label domestic release in 17 years. But
White was just beginning to roll, or re-roll, as the case may be. The critically acclaimed
The Beginning appeared from Swamp Records in 2001, followed by
Heroines, featuring several duets with female vocalists, from Sanctuary in 2004, and a live
Austin City Limits concert,
Live from Austin, TX, from New West Records in 2006. In 2007
White released another live recording,
Take Home the Swamp, as well as the compilation
Introduction to Tony Joe White. In the summer of 2010 Rhino Handmade released a previously unissued live date from 1971 entitled That On the Road Look; later that fall,
White's latest studio offering, Shine, appeared through his Swamp Records imprint.
–
John Bush, Rovi