BIOGRAPHY
Tony Joe White (1943-2018) grew up on a cotton farm in Goodwill, Louisiana, and drew early inspiration from Lightnin' Hopkins before playing in Tony & the Mojos and Tony & the Twilights. Hearing Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" pushed him toward songwriting, and in 1967 he signed with Monument Records in Hendersonville, Tennessee, working with producer Billy Swan. His 1969 single "Polk Salad Annie" became a surprise Top Ten hit after nine months of silence, and he later wrote "Rainy Night in Georgia" (a hit for Brook Benton) plus "Steamy Windows" and "Undercover Agent for the Blues" for Tina Turner, connections made through his friend and producer Mark Knopfler. He continued recording into his later years, including 2006's Uncovered with Knopfler, Eric Clapton, and J.J. Cale, and 2018's Bad Mouthin' before his death that October in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee.