American Bandstand 1969 – Polk Salad Annie, Tony Joe White

Airdate: August 2, 1969 Released in 1968, “Polk Salad Annie” went nowhere for about 9 months before it finally caught on nationally thanks to its increasing popularity among teens in the south. Today it sits at #18 on its way to #8 in 3 weeks. This is Tony’s first and only top 40 hit, but in 1967 he also wrote and performed “Rainy Night in Georgia” which will be made famous by Brook Benton in 1970. Polk salad is another way of saying “poke sallet” a cooked greens dish made from pokeweed which grew abundantly near Oak Grove, Louisiana where Tony grew up. If you were to actually eat a “salad” made from raw pokeweed you would most likely die as it is extremely toxic. Tony Joe White passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on October 24, 2018 (RIP) As mentioned in a previous clip from this episode, Sterling Rice & Gayle Jefferson will take 2nd place in the ’69 Dance Contest. Today we also get to see some dance moves from his twin brother, Steven Rice, who will compete in the ‘70 Dance contest. (best seen at 3:27). There are also several long-time regulars dancing today including: Robin Miller with Art Mikaelian at 0:47, Famous Hooks & Jenny Nichols at 0:51, Don Sanuskar & Karen Sudlow at 0:55, Frank Herrera at 1:20, and Mike Langham & Pat Dickinson at 2:49. Other dancers spotted today include Pat Dickinson’s sister Vicky (2:59), Bill Berne (3:20), and Carl Ratcher (1:15). More Clips From This Episode: ‘69 Dance Contest Winners, Too Busy Thinking About My Baby, Marvin Gaye Summer of ’69 Travel/”Marrakesh Express”, Crosby Stills & Nash Spotlight Dance with Don Sanuskar, Karen Sudlow, Mike Langham, Pat Dickinson, & Carl Ratcher/ “Commotion”, CCR Rate-A-Record with Famous Hooks Coming Up Next: The kids dance to an incredible song from the one and only “Queen of Soul”.