Black and White

by Tony Joe White

Overview

When "Polk Salad Annie" blared from transistor radio speakers in the summer of 1969, the first thought was of Creedence Clearwater Revival, for Tony Joe White's swamp rock bore more than a passing resemblance to the sound John Fogerty whipped up on Bayou Country and Green River. But White was the real thing -- he really was from the bayou country of Louisiana, while Fogerty's bayou country was conjured up in Berkeley, CA. Plus, White had a mellow baritone voice that sounded like it had been dredged up from the bottom of the Delta. Besides "Annie," side one of this album includes several other White originals. The best of these are "Willie and Laura Mae Jones," a song about race relations with an arrangement similar to "Ballad of Billie Joe," and "Soul Francisco," a short piece of funky fluff that had been a big hit in Europe in 1968. "Aspen, Colorado" presages the later "Rainy Night in Georgia," a White composition popularized by Brook Benton. The second side consists of covers of contemporary hits, with the funky "Who's Making Love" and "Scratch My Back" faring better than the slow stuff. Dusty Springfield had a minor hit with "Willie and Laura Mae Jones," and White's songs were recorded by other performers through the years, but "Polk Salad Annie" and the gators that got her granny provided his only march in the American hit parade. ~ Jim Newsom

Product Details

Release Date:	09/24/2021
Label:	France
UPC:	0181141813329

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tony Joe White   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica
Jim Isbell   Drums
Chip Young   Guitar
Norbert Putnam   Bass
Jerry Carrigan   Drums
David Briggs   Organ,Piano,Keyboards,Organ,Piano

Technical Credits

John Adkins   Composer
Bobby Russell   Composer
Jimmy Webb   Composer
Don Davis   Composer
Homer Banks   Composer
Ray Stevens   Producer
Al Pachucki   Engineer
Buddy Buie   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Tony Joe White   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Billy Swan   Producer
James Moore   Composer
Lee Herschberg   Digital Mastering,Digital Remastering
Raymond Jackson   Composer
Donald Davis   Composer
Ken Kim   Photography,Art Direction
Cam Mullins   Arranger
Bobby Weiss   Liner Notes
Bettye Crutcher   Composer
Bergen White   Arranger