R.I.P. Tony Joe White, songwriter behind "Polk Salad Annie" and "Rainy Night In Georgia
As reported by American Songwriter, musician and songwriter Tony Joe White—the writer behind “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night In Georgia”—has died. Though not necessarily a household name himself, White’s work was covered by Elvis Presley, Tina Turner, Time McGraw, Ray Charles, Kenny Chesney, and many others. White was 75.
White was born in Louisiana in 1943, and though he played at dances and local clubs as a young man, his first big break came when Monument Records signed him in 1967 and released his first album in 1969. That album, Black And White, featured “Polk Salad Annie,” White’s biggest and most influential song. As American Songwriter explains, the track reflects his “hardscrabble childhood growing up in the cotton country and swamplands of northeastern Louisiana.”
