© 2026 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Tony Joe White On World Cafe

Tony Joe White.
Joshua Black Wilkins
/
Courtesy of the artist
Tony Joe White.

Tony Joe White pretty much invented the swamp-rock genre in 1969 with his first album, Black and White; Elvis Presley often covered White's huge hit "Polk Salad Annie." (As White sings in his song, Polk salad is a food synonymous with the rural poor South.)

Over the years, White's songs have also been covered by Brook Benton, Tina Turner and Dusty Springfield. Now, White has a new album called Hoodoo. He's kept his sound pure over the years, and he brings his legendary wah-wah pedal and drummer to keep this World Cafe session sounding swampy.

Copyright 2021 XPN. To see more, visit XPN.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.