My Favorite One Hit Wonders of the 60s: Polk Salad Annie (#2)

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Scott (@teamfreak16 ) and I have been counting down our favorite one-hit wonders through the 80s, 70s, and now the 60s. We're down to the final two, and the amazing thing is we still haven't matched on a song! We've both had great songs, though. Here's my penultimate one hit wonder. #2: Polk Salad Annie - Tony Joe White There were probably a lot of people shocked when they saw Tony Joe White and discovered that he is, indeed, Caucasian. The soulful vocals he put into this story about a woman who lived "down in Louisiana where the alligators grow so mean" sounded straight out of Delta blues singers. There's a reason: White is from Louisiana, so he grew up in a perfect place to be influenced by swamp music, blues, the mixture of jazz from New Orleans, and country music from Texas. You'll hear a little bit of all of that in his classic "Polk Salad Annie." In 1969 the song made the Billboard top ten. While White's composition "Rainy Night in Georgia" also became a massive hit when covered by Brook Benton, White as a singer never hit the top 40 again. That doesn't mean he's not active, though. He's become an Americana favorite, and earlier this year his new album, Rain Crow, was released to positive reviews. Polk Salad Annie Written by Tony Joe White Recorded by Tony Joe White From Black and White, 1968 How badass is this live version, with the sideburns and the cigarette sticking out of the strings of the guitar? Sock a little poke salad to me!