One of seven children, Tony Joe White was raised on a cotton farm near the small town of Oak Grove, Louisiana. When he was sixteen, his older brother Charles brought home a Lightnin’ Hopkins album, inspiring White to pick up the blues guitar. He was influenced not only by local bluesmen and country singers but also by the Cajun music of Louisiana. After graduating from high school, he played in nightclubs across Louisiana and Texas.

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White formed his first band, Tony White & His Combo, with Robert McGuffey and Jim Griffith, followed by Tony Joe and the Mojos and Tony’s Twilights. He worked in small southern nightclubs for seven years before deciding to go solo, writing and performing his own material. “Polk Salad Annie” had been released for nine months and was nearly abandoned by his record label when it finally entered the U.S. charts in July 1969, eventually reaching No. 8 and becoming White’s biggest hit. Following its success, he toured with major rock acts of the 1970s, including Creedence Clearwater Revival. “Polk Salad Annie” was later recorded by several artists, most famously Elvis Presley.

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White also earned a strong reputation as a songwriter and arranger. His second major hit, “Rainy Night in Georgia,” was covered by artists such as Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Hank Williams Jr. In late September 1973, he was recruited to sit in on the legendary Memphis sessions that became Jerry Lee Lewis’s landmark Southern Roots album.

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White’s music found particular success in France, where it was dubbed “swamp rock,” and he himself was nicknamed the “Swamp Fox.” In 1991, he recorded his first album in many years, Closer to the Truth, which charted across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The release led to an extensive European tour where he opened for artists including Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton. White also wrote and performed commercial jingles for McDonald’s and Levi’s 501 Blues.

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Tony Joe White was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast, Music Hall of Fame, in 1999.