Tony Joe White

This morning, the song running through my head was Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.” I don’t know what you think about Ms. Winehouse as an artist or a human being, and that song may have been over-played, but I still think it’s brilliant. But that’s not what this post is about.

Somewhere along the line and in my mind, “Rehab” made a segue into The Band’s “Rag Mama Rag.” Some melodic and/or rhythmic elements overlap on the two, so I was doing a mental mash-up. That’s not what this post is about either.

What this post is about is “Polk Salad Annie” and Tony Joe White. I meandered on YouTube from The Band and Amy Winehouse and ended up far from where I began – like getting lost in a swamp. And you know what you find in a swamp? Polk Salad.

Here’s Elvis singing “Polk Salad Annie” in full Vegas mode:



And just for the sheer fun of it (as if the preceding video wasn't plenty), here’s Tony Joe singing a duet of “Polk Salad” with Johnny Cash:



Tony Joe White’s biggest songwriting hits may have been “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia.” He’s also written and produced for Tina Turner. For a country singer-songwriter, he’s can bring the funk. Here’s the incomparable Ms. Tina Turner singing Tony Joe’s “Steamy Windows.”



I’ll close with a more recent video of Tony Joe White doing a solo on “Who You Gonna Hoodoo Now?” His isn't the greatest singing voice, but that deep bass certainly has appeal.