Tony Joe White – The Gov Wednesday 11 April 2017.
Words & Photo Geoff Jenke
The Swamp Fox, Tony Joe White walked on stage to rapturous applause from the mostly grey (or no) haired crowd. Dressed all in black, including black Stetson hat and black shades, Tony plugged in and played Way Down South solo. We were going to be in for a great evening.
Tony Joe White has often been labelled a “one hit wonder” with his song Polk Salad Annie reaching the top end of charts worldwide in 1969. Just don’t tell this to his loyal fans who have stuck by him for the 20 or more studio albums he has released in his life time. He has also had his songs released by Elvis Presley, Tina Turner, Roy Orbison, Tom Jones, just to name a few. He also appeared with The Foo Fighter on The Letterman show which prompted Letterman to say “If I was this guy, you could all kiss my ass”.
After the first song, White invited drummer Bryan “Cadillac” Owings to the stage to “Liven things up a bit”. They tore through Undercover Agent for the Blues with some loud sonic guitar mid way through. A sound he returned to throughout the show.
From there we got some of the best rawest swamp rock, rocking blues, dark songs and gentle guitar riffs you will ever hear. Songs of murder, love and loss, swamp lands, alligators and life in the South were featured during the evening. His growling raw voice puts even Leonard Cohen’s to shame, but suits his songs perfectly. We had songs from all eras of White’s work and the highlight was Even Trolls Play Rock and Roll. The song is a magnificent piece of work telling the story of a rock ‘n’ roll band meeting a Troll on a bridge and the inevitable guitar contest that followed. Some brilliant guitar work from Tony and also from the Troll also ensured.
White played a couple of tracks from his new album, Rain Crow, before finishing with a extended version of Polk Salad Annie, complete with guitar and harmonica solo’s.
The crowd were not going to let White get away without an encore and he came back, sending us home with a blistering version of Steamy Windows. He even managed to fill the dance floor with happy couples dancing. This song was a hit for Tina Turner in the late 80’s but did Dire Straits “steal” this riff for Money for Nothing?
Tony Joe White is an American treasure. He doesn’t just dig a groove with his music, he digs a trench. Tonight we were guided on a journey of soul, blues and American roots music by a master.
Special mention must be made of local lass Abbie Cardwell who opened for Tony Joe White. I don’t think I have ever seen a support act at the Gov who has held the audience captive like Abbie did. You could have heard a pin drop as she entertained the crowd with her original songs, storytelling and the occasional cover song. Excellent choice for support slot.
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