Tony Joe White

Tony Joe White was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie" and for "Rainy Night in Georgia," which he wrote but was first made famous by Brook Benton in 1970. He was also known for his distinctive style of swamp rock, which blended country, blues, and R&B styles.

White began his career as a session musician in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in the late 1960s, working with artists such as Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. He released his self-titled debut album in 1968, which featured his breakthrough hit "Polk Salad Annie." The song reached the Top 10 in the US and was covered by Elvis Presley in 1972. White's other standout albums include his 1971 release Black and White, which featured the hit "Groupy Girl" and 1972's Homemade Ice Cream, which featured the title track as well as "Willie and Laura Mae Jones."

White continued to record and tour throughout the 1970s, releasing several more albums and singles. In the 1990s, he gained a new generation of fans with the release of his album Closer to the Truth, which featured covers of classic blues and R&B songs. His last album, Bad Mouthin', was released in 2018.

An interesting fact about Tony Joe White is that he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. He was the first artist to be inducted for writing both country and R&B songs.