Tony Joe is very much the minimalist. He tours with just his guitar, affectionately known as "The Whomper Stomper" & his drummer 'Boom Boom' (Marc Cohen). His live shows range from merely genius to riot inducing. I've been lucky enough to see him twice, once in N' Awlins at the 1st Ponderosa Stomp (see Eric Olsen's entry on the P.Stomp for mo' info) & last year as the opening act for Joe Cocker at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Way down yonder in N.O, he had even the most jaded of hipsters dancing & drinking like it was gonna be outlawed the next day. His set was peppered with classy R & B covers (Slim Harpo's "Scratch My Back" & J.L. Hookers "Boom Boom" to name a couple I remember) and originals such as his beautiful ballad "Rainy Night In Georgia" and of course, an extended work out on "Polk Salad Annie."
His inability to be pigeonholed to one genre of music has always been his largest detriment stateside. His music encompasses Soul, Blues, Country, Rock & Gospel. The music industry, having never figured out how to market him to any particular group of buyers, basically wrote him off after his brief burst of popularity in the late 60's/early 70's. He has perservered on his own though, by constantly touring overseas and releasing new music. Keep on rockin' TJW. Chomp, chomp chomp.
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