The master of swamp funk, Tony Joe White began his gigging and songwriting career while living in Corpus Christi in the early 60's. Nick-named The Swamp Fox, his blend of down home blues, backwoods country and funky southern soul became the gold standard of what became known as swamp rock. Others have memorably interpreted his songs, from Elvis' classic live renditions of Polk Salad Annie to Brook Benton’s unforgettable take on “Rainy Night in Georgia” in 1970 and on to Tina Turner’s intensely soulful rendition of “Steamy Windows in the 90's.
One of seven children, Tony Joe White was born on July 23, 1943, in Goodwill, Louisiana, a crossroads near the small town of Oak Grove. When he was about 15, however, his brother gave him a recording by blues guitarist Lightnin' Hopkins, and he was hooked. After finishing high school he worked for a short time as a highway department dump truck driver in Marietta, Georgia, where his sister and her husband lived. In the early 1960s he moved to the Texas Gulf Coast around Corpus Christi, put together a band, began playing local clubs, and finished both "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie." By 1964 he was appearing in Kingsville, Texas, in a band called Tony White & his Combo. As fashions changed and gigs diversified, Tony White & His Combo became Tony Joe and the Mojos or Tony's Twilights. Several much sought after singles were recorded on the legendary J-Beck label (Zakary Thaks) under the name, Tony Joe And The Mojo's.
TJW-"I went on down to Texas, to Corpus Christi, which is where I actually wrote it. In fact, 'Rainy' [which was a hit for soul singer Brook Benton] and 'Poke' [White's own hit single, 'Poke Salad Annie'] all happened in the same week."
TJW – "I lived in Corpus Christi (Texas) for 12 years. I left Louisiana when I was just out of high school and went on down to Corpus where I started writing. I was about 19 or twenty years old. That was where things started to move because until then, in the clubs, I was doing John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Elvis tunes every night. They were my heroes but then, when I started writing, it all turned into the swamp feel. I was still playing in a club in Corpus Christi for 10 dollars a night, just me and my guitar & a wooden box as a drum. My manager comes in and says “Hey Tony Joe, you got some interviews in France to do as you’ve got yourself a top 5 record there” (Soul Francisco from the Black and White album).
TJW-"I was doing ‘Polk’ every night" at a Corpus Christi club called the Carousel, he recalled to Campion. "People came to dance. And they had those damn weird dances! One was called the alligator—a guy would lay down on the floors, the girl would lay on his back, and they would just crawl around like gators on the floor." From the start, White's music was bluesy, low, and stark. At the start he accompanied himself by stamping his foot. When the wah-wah guitar pedal became widely available in the mid-1960s, White quickly acquired one and made it a key part of his sound. He spent most of the 1960s in Corpus Christi, starting a family with his wife, LeAnn. The couple raised two children; one son, Jody, later became White's manager.
About the Corpus days...
TJW- "I was really into it. I mean barefoot all the time and brown and fishing out on Padre Island. And playing in the clubs at night. I thought, "Man, this is already it." I actually started writing down there. I was just about 19 when I first went there, right after high school. And I started playing in the clubs there six nights a week"
Corpus Gold Note: In the 90's I had a chance to visit with Tony Joe and ask him about some of the places he played in Corpus back in the day. Frenchy's Beachcomber and The Safari lounge were two he mentioned. More on them in later posts.
In 1966 Tony Joe made a serious try at breaking into recordings by driving to Nashville and knocking on doors. Staying at a boarding house and mingling with musicians in the city's Lower Broadway district, he heard many discouraging words. But he struck gold when he showed up at the office of Combine Music publisher Bob Beckham, who agreed to listen to his songs and was impressed by his deep blues sound. Soon Tony Joe was signed to Monument records and the rest is history.
Visit http://www.tonyjoewhite.com/ to see what Tony Joe is up to today.
Sources for this post include www.texasmonthly.com, www.elvisinfo.net, www.metroactive.com, www.answers.com and Tony Joe's site listed above.
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