Tony Joe White

When Louisiana singer/songwriter Tony Joe White turned up in Barry Beckett’s Nashville office in 1967 to play the producer/keyboardist his songs, Beckett took one look at the broodingly handsome troubadour and famously said “Son, if you can hum, you’re a star.” White could do a lot more than hum: his trailblazing mix of country twang and an R&B feel popularized Louisiana “swamp rock” and defined what came to be known as “country soul” alongside the likes of Larry Jon Wilson and Delaney & Bonnie. With his spare, cutting blues-guitar licks, deep husky voice, and funky grooves, White told evocative tales full of idiosyncratic, inimitable local Louisiana color. One of them, “Polk Salad Annie,” went to number 8 in 1969 and was White’s only pop hit, but he also found success through other artists’ versions of his tunes. Elvis Presley covered “Polk Salad Annie,” and R&B singer Brook Benton had one of his biggest hits with White’s “Rainy Night in Georgia.” By the ‘80s, White’s career was floundering, but his “Steamy Windows,” a 1989 hit for Tina Turner, helped turn things around, and while he never attained the same degree of stardom he enjoyed in the ‘60s, White continued exploring and perfecting his “swamp rock” sound, becoming a beloved cult hero.