Jerry Williams, Jr.
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Jerry Williams Jr. (born July 12, 1942), generally credited under the pseudonym Swamp Dogg after 1970, is an American
country soul Southern soul or country soul is a type of soul and country music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originated from a combination of styles, including blues (both 12 bar and jump), country, early R&B, and a strong gospel ...
and R&B singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. Williams has been described as "one of the great cult figures of 20th century American music." After recording as Little Jerry and Little Jerry Williams in the 1950s and 1960s, he reinvented himself as Swamp Dogg, releasing a series of satirical, offbeat, and eccentric recordings, as well as continuing to write and produce for other musicians. He debuted his new sound on the '' Total Destruction to Your Mind'' album in 1970. In the 1980s, he helped to develop Alonzo Williams'
World Class Wreckin' Cru World Class Wreckin' Cru was an American electro group, during the 1980s in the Los Angeles area, that contributed to rap's development. Two of its members, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, attained greater fame as members of N.W.A, which pioneered gangst ...
, which produced
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
among others. He continues to make music, releasing '' Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune'' on
Joyful Noise Recordings Joyful Noise Recordings is an independent record label with headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The label was founded in 2003 in Bloomington, Indiana by Karl Hofstetter, who also played drums on several of the label's first releases. Joyful N ...
in 2018, '' Sorry You Couldn't Make It'' in 2020,Lois Wilson, "The ''Woof'' Is Out There", ''Record Collector, #504, April 2020, pp.74-77 and '' I Need a Job...So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune'' in 2022 on
Don Giovanni Records Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. Its also operated out of Lansing, Mic ...
. In 2024, he released ''Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St'' on Oh Boy, a label founded by the late
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
.


Biography


Early life and recording career

Williams was born in
Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. It lies across the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River from Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
. He made his first recording, "HTD Blues (Hardsick Troublesome Downout Blues)", for the Mechanic
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
in 1954, when he was aged 12, with his parents and uncle and backing musicians, and was regularly hired to play private parties. From 1960, he released occasional singles for a variety of labels, including the self-written "I'm The Lover Man" in 1964, which was first issued on the Southern Sound label and was then picked up by the larger Loma label, almost breaking into the national ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He also wrote successfully for other musicians, including "Big Party" for
Barbara and the Browns Barbara and the Browns were an American soul and gospel vocal group, fronted by Barbara Brown (died 3 February 2010) who also recorded as a solo singer. The group were from Memphis, Tennessee, and originally comprised Barbara Brown with her siste ...
. As Little Jerry Williams, he had his first national chart success in 1966, when "Baby You're My Everything", which he co-wrote and produced, was released on the
Calla ''Calla'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Araceae, containing the single species ''Calla palustris'' (bog arum, marsh calla, wild calla, squaw claw, and water-arumDickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field ...
label and rose to #32 on the R&B chart, again just missing the Hot 100. He released several more singles on Calla through to 1967, by now credited simply as Jerry Williams, but with little commercial success, although some of his records such as "If You Ask Me (Because I Love You)" later became staples of the
Northern Soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...
movement in the UK. By late 1967 he started working in A&R and other duties for the Musicor label in New York. In 1968 he co-wrote, with Charlie Foxx,
Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 h ...
's up-tempo hit, "She's a Heartbreaker", which Williams also claimed to have produced, saying: "I produced the motherfuck out of it... ndCharlie Foxx put me down on the label as "vocal arranger." What the fuck is that? When they took out full-page ads in ''Billboard'' and ''Cashbox'', there was a picture of Charlie on one side and a picture of Gene Pitney on the other and no mention of me." Later in 1968 Williams began working as a producer at
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
with
Jerry Wexler Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...
and
Phil Walden Phil Walden (January 11, 1940 – April 23, 2006) was a co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based Capricorn Records, along with former Atlantic Records executive Frank Fenter. Biography Walden received his undergraduate degree in economics from Ma ...
, on artists including Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles, though he found the administration frustrating. He established a songwriting partnership with Gary Anderson, who performed as Gary U.S. Bonds, and the pair wrote the
R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
hits "To the Other Woman (I'm the Other Woman)" by
Doris Duke Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealth, luxurious lifestyle, and love life attracted ...
, and "She Didn't Know (She Kept on Talking)" by
Dee Dee Warwick Delia Juanita Warrick (September 25, 1942 – October 18, 2008), known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick, was an American soul singer. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, she was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, the niece of Cissy Houston, a ...
. He also recorded a single, "I Got What It Takes", in a duo with Brooks O'Dell, and released two singles under his own name on the
Cotillion The cotillion (also cotillon or French country dance) is a social dance, popular in 18th-century Europe and North America. Originally for four couples in square formation, it was a courtly version of an English country dance, the forerunner ...
label, a subsidiary of Atlantic.


Work as Swamp Dogg

Williams later wrote:
I became Swamp Dogg in 1970 in order to have an alter-ego and someone to occupy the body while the search party was out looking for Jerry Williams, who was mentally missing in action due to certain pressures, mal-treatments and failure to get paid royalties on over fifty single records.... Most all of the tracks included were recorded in
Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located on the left bank of the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, its population was 13,146. The estimated popula ...
, Alabama, and Macon, Georgia, which brings me to how the name Swamp Dogg came about.
Jerry Wexler Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...
,
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
v.p. and producer/innovator second to none, was recording in the newly discovered mecca of funk
Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located on the left bank of the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, its population was 13,146. The estimated popula ...
. He coined the term "Swamp Music" for this awesome funk predominately played by all white musicians accompanying the R'n'B institutions e.g.,
Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...
,
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...
,
King Curtis Curtis Montgomery (February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musi ...
... I was also using the same "swamp" players. I was tired of being a jukebox, singing all of the hits by
Chuck Jackson Charles Benjamin Jackson (July 22, 1937 – February 16, 2023) was an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He performed with moderate success starting in 1961. Hi ...
, Ben E. King, etc., and being an R'n'B second banana. I couldn't dance as good as
Joe Tex Yusuf Hazziez (born Joseph Arrington Jr.; August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982), known professionally as Joe Tex, was an American singer and musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the style ...
, wasn't pretty like
Tommy Hunt Thomas James Hunt (June 18, 1933 – February 12, 2025) was an American soul and northern soul singer, and a 2001 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee as a member of famed R&B group the Flamingos. Early life Born to Georgianna Derico on June 18 ...
, couldn't compare vocally to
Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of th ...
and I didn't have the sex appeal of
Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Me ...
. I wanted to sing about everything and anything and not be pigeonholed by the industry. So I came up with the name Dogg because a dog can do anything, and anything a dog does never comes as a real surprise; if he sleeps on the sofa, shits on the rug, pisses on the drapes, chews up your slippers, humps your mother-in-law's leg, jumps on your new clothes and licks your face, he's never gotten out of character. You understand what he did, you curse while making allowances for him but your love for him never diminishes. Commencing in 1970, I sung about
sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...
,
niggers In the English language, ''nigger'' is a racial slur directed at black people. Starting in the 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been increasingly replaced by the euphemistic contraction , notably in cases where ''nigger'' is Use–menti ...
,
love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
,
rednecks ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term mainly applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, ''Dictionary of American ...
,
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
,
peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...
, dead flies, home wreckers,
Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...
, my
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s,
politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
,
revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
and
blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's Circulatory system, circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used ...
s (just to name a few), and never got out of character. Recording in Alabama and sincerely singing/writing about items that interested me, gave birth to the name Swamp Dogg.
Having adopted his moniker before
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
was born, he has claimed to be "''the original D-O double G''". In 1970, he emerged in his new Swamp Dogg persona, with two singles on
Wally Roker Christian Waldemar "Wally" Roker (April 14, 1937 – December 2, 2015) was an American vocal group singer, best known as a member of The Heartbeats and sometimes called "The Godfather of Doo-Wop". He helped establish Scepter Records, worked ...
's Canyon label, "Mama's Baby, Daddy's Maybe", again co-written with Bonds, and "Synthetic World". He also produced the first Swamp Dogg album, ''Total Destruction to Your Mind''. The album sleeve showed Williams sitting in his underwear on a pile of garbage. Williams' new direction apparently followed an
LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
trip, and was inspired by the radical politics of the time and by
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
's use of satire, while showing his own expertise in, and commitment to, deep soul and R&B music. According to Allmusic: "In sheer musical terms, Swamp Dogg is pure Southern soul, anchored on tight grooves and accentuated by horns, but the Dogg is as much about message as music..." Although not a commercial success at the time, Swamp Dogg started to develop a cult following and eventually the album sold enough to achieve
gold record Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
status. Record critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
wrote that "Soul-seekers like myself are moderately mad for the obscure" album and has called it "legendary". It was reissued in 2013 by
Alive Naturalsound Records Alive Naturalsound Records (also known as Alive Records) is an independent record label formed in 1993 in Los Angeles, California by Patrick Boissel, specializing in garage rock, punk, psychedelic, and blues rock. It grew out of Boissel's assoc ...
. Around the same time, one of the songs Williams had co-written with Gary Bonds, " She's All I Got", became a top-ten R&B hit for
Freddie North Freddie North (born 28 May 1939, in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American R&B singer. North had experience as a disc jockey at WLAC-Nashville and in promotion for Nashboro Records, who released gospel music. In 1971 he released an album, ''Frien ...
, and was recorded with even greater success by
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
star
Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greates ...
, whose version reached #2 on the country music chart in late 1971. In a later interview on
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
's ''
Studio 360 ''Studio 360'' was an American weekly public radio program about the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and ''Slate (magazine), Slate'' in New York City. The program's stated goal was t ...
'', Williams stated he was raised on country music: "Black music didn't start 'til 10 at night until 4 in the morning and I was in bed by then... If you strip my tracks, take away all the horns and guitar licks, what you have is a country song."Jerry Williams, Jr., interview with Kurt Anderson ''Studio 360,'' Natl. Public Radio, WYPR, Baltimore May 9, 2009 However, he also continued to write and produce deep soul songs for other musicians, including
Z. Z. Hill Arzell J. "Z. Z." Hill (September 30, 1935 – April 27, 1984)Dahl, Bill. "Z.Z. Hill" Allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 March 2014. was an American blues singer best known for his recordings in the 1970s and early 1980s, including his 1982 album for Ma ...
and
Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...
. In 1971 in collaboration with co-producer and writer the legendary George Semper he released "Monster Walk Pt. 1 and 2" by the Rhythm 'N' Blues Classical Funk Band on Mankind Records label. Produced for Jerry Williams Productions, Inc.and in spite of modest sales the record once again demonstrated his entrepreneurial skill as an artist. As Swamp Dogg, he was signed by
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
for his second album, ''Rat On!'' in 1971. The sleeve showed him on the back of a giant white rat, and has frequently been ranked as one of the worst album covers of all time. Sales were relatively poor, and he joined
Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...
's anti-
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
''Free the Army'' tour. His next albums ''Cuffed, Collared and Tagged'' (1972) and ''Gag a Maggott'' (recorded at the TK Studio in 1973) were released on smaller labels, though his 1974 album, ''Have You Heard This Story??'', was issued by
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
. In 1977 he had another minor R&B hit with "My Heart Just Can't Stop Dancing", credited to Swamp Dogg & the Riders of the New Funk. He continued to release albums through the 1970s and into the mid-1980s as Swamp Dogg, on various small independent labels and in a variety of styles including
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
and country and maintained a healthy cult following. He also set up his own publishing and recording company, Swamp Dogg Entertainment Group (SDEG). In 1999, "Slow Slow Disco" was
sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...
by
Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...
on the track "I Got One for Ya", sparking a revival of interest in Swamp Dogg, who began performing live gigs for the first time. Several other of his recordings were sampled, and in 2009 he released two new albums, ''Give Em as Little as You Can...As Often as You Have To...Or...A Tribute to Rock N Roll'', and ''An Awful Christmas and a Lousy New Year''. He also released some further singles, and a compilation album of the best of his work as both Little Jerry Williams and Swamp Dogg, ''It's All Good'', was released in 2009. Most of his early Swamp Dogg albums have also been reissued on CD.


Recent work

Swamp Dogg released a full-length album of new songs in 2014, ''The White Man Made Me Do It,'' which Williams described as being a sort of sequel to ''Total Destruction To Your Mind''. Shortly thereafter, Swamp Dogg teamed up with Ryan Olson from ''
Poliça Poliça (often stylised in all caps) is an American pop band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 2011. The band consists of Channy Leaneagh (vocals, synth), Chris Bierden (bass), Drew Christopherson (drums) and Ben Ivascu (drums), with Ryan ...
'' to produce the tracks for his 2018 album '' Love, Loss & Autotune,''
Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known as the primary songwriter and Lead vocalist, frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. He is also a member o ...
(aka
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...
) fine-tuning the vocal tracks. The song also features instrumentation by
Guitar Shorty David William Kearney (September 8, 1934 – April 20, 2022), known as Guitar Shorty, was an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was known for his explosive guitar style and wild stage antics. Credited with influencing both ...
. The music video for "I'll Pretend" premiered at NPR and was later featured at ''Rolling Stone'', ''Pitchfork'', ''Spin'' and elsewhere. Swamp Dogg described the song as a character study about "a guy sitting in a restaurant by himself losing his fucking mind because he's hoping his woman is gonna walk by, but she's at a Ramada Inn somewhere fucking somebody else to death." In 2020, he released the album ''Sorry You Couldn't Make It'', a
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
-styled record recorded in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
with producer Ryan Olson and musicians including
Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known as the primary songwriter and Lead vocalist, frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. He is also a member o ...
,
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
, and
Jenny Lewis Jennifer Diane Lewis (born January 8, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Lewis gained prominence in the 1980s as a child ...
. In 2022, he released ''I Need a Job...So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune'' on
Don Giovanni Records Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. Its also operated out of Lansing, Mic ...
. In 2024, he was profiled in the documentary film '' Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted''.


Discography


Albums

* '' Total Destruction to Your Mind'' (Canyon, 1970) * ''Rat On!'' (
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
, 1971) * ''Cuffed, Collared & Tagged'' ( Cream Records, 1972) * ''Gag a Maggott'' (Stone Dogg, 1973) * ''Have You Heard This Story??'' (
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
, 1974) * ''??? Greatest Hits ??? '' (Stone Dogg, 1976) * ''You Ain't Never Too Old to Boogie'' (
DJM Records DJM Records (also known as Dick James Music) was a British independent record label, set up in the late 1960s by British music publisher Dick James. It was distributed by Pye Records in the UK, and various other companies around the world, inc ...
, 1976) * ''An Opportunity... Not a Bargain!!!'' (Wizard Records, 1977) * ''Finally Caught Up with Myself'' (
Musicor Records Musicor Records was a New York City-based record label, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The label was founded by songwriter Aaron Schroeder and distributed by United Artists Records. In 1965, UA employee and A&R man Arthur Talmadge (a co-fo ...
, 1977) * ''Doing a Party Tonite'' (Cream Records, 1980) * ''I'm Not Selling Out - I'm Buying In!'' (
Takoma Records Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by guitarist John Fahey in the late 1950s.Volt Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...
, 1991) * ''The Re-Invention of Swamp Dogg'' (SDEG, 2000) * ''If I Ever Kiss It .... He Can Kiss It Goodbye!'' (SDEG, 2002) * ''Resurrection'' (SDEG, 2007) * ''Swamp Dogg Droppin's'' (SDEG, 2008) * ''Give 'em as Little as You Can...As Often as You Have To...or...A Tribute to Rock 'n' Roll'' (
S-Curve Records S-Curve Records is an American record label founded in 2000 by former Mercury Records executive Steve Greenberg. It is based in New York City. In 2001 the label established a distribution and licensing agreement with EMI Records. Among the hit ...
, 2009) * ''An Awful Christmas and a Lousy New Year'' (SDEG, 2009) * ''The White Man Made Me Do It'' (2014) * ''Don't Give Up on Me: The Lost Country Album'' (Essential Media Group, 2014) *'' Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune'' (
Joyful Noise Recordings Joyful Noise Recordings is an independent record label with headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The label was founded in 2003 in Bloomington, Indiana by Karl Hofstetter, who also played drums on several of the label's first releases. Joyful N ...
, 2018) *'' Sorry You Couldn't Make It'' (Joyful Noise Recordings, 2020) *'' I Need a Job...So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune'' (
Don Giovanni Records Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. Its also operated out of Lansing, Mic ...
, 2022) *''Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St'' (
Oh Boy Records Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1981 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta, and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris ...
, 2024)


Compilations


Little Jerry Williams

* ''Little Jerry Williams Anthology (1954-1969), aka Swamp Dogg'' (SDEG, 2000)


Swamp Dogg

*''Best of 25 Years of Swamp Dogg...or F**k the Bomb, Stop the Drugs'' (
Point Blank Records Point Blank Records is a record label subsidiary of Virgin Records. Point Blank Records was founded in 1988 by John Wooler. Wooler served as Deputy Head of A&R at Virgin Records UK from 1984 to 1994 and Senior Vice President of Virgin Reco ...
, 1995) *''The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg, Vol. 1'' (contains albums ''Total Destruction To Your Mind'' and ''Rat On!'') (SDEG, 1996) *''The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg, Vol. 2'' (contains albums ''Cuffed, Collared & Tagged'' and ''Gag A Maggott'') (SDEG, 2001) *''The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg, Vol. 3'' (contains albums ''Have You Heard This Story??'' and ''I Called For A Rope And They Threw Me A Rock'') (SDEG, 2007) *''The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg, Vol. 4'' (contains albums ''??? Greatest Hits ???'' and ''Finally Caught Up With Myself'') (SDEG, 2007) *''The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg, Vol. 5'' (contains albums ''You Ain't Never Too Old To Boogie'' and ''Don't Give Up On Me: The Lost Country Album'') (SDEG, 2007) *''It's All Good: A Singles Collection 1963-1989'' (
Kent Records Kent Records was a Los Angeles–based record label, launched in 1958 by the Bihari brothers. It was a subsidiary of Crown Records Corporation. Kent was a follow-up to Modern Records, which ceased operations in 1958. The label reissued Modern's sin ...
, 2011) *''13 Prime Weiners, Everything on It!: Best of Swamp Dogg'' (Essential Media Group, 2014) *''Hits Anthology: Swamp Dogg, a.k.a. Little Jerry Williams'' (Essential Media Group, 2014)


Multiple-artist compilations

* "Southern Soul" on ''Safe In Sound (Home Recordings From Quarantine)'' (Joyful Noise Recordings, 2020)


Chart singles


Little Jerry Williams

* "Baby, You're My Everything" ( Calla Records, 1966, #32 R&B chart)


Swamp Dogg

* "Mama's Baby - Daddy's Maybe" (Canyon, 1970, #33 R&B chart, #113 Pop) * "My Heart Just Can't Stop Dancing" (Musicor, 1977, #71 R&B chart)


References


External links


Swamp Dogg
official website
Swamp Dogg
on
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Swamp Dogg
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel
Jerry Williams discography
o
Soulful Kinda MusicSwamp Dogg Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (2014) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Swamp Dogg 1942 births Living people African-American guitarists Songwriters from Virginia Record producers from Virginia Musicians from Portsmouth, Virginia Psychedelic soul musicians American soul guitarists American male guitarists Alive Naturalsound Records artists Guitarists from Virginia 20th-century American guitarists Joyful Noise Recordings artists 20th-century American male musicians Loma Records artists Elektra Records artists African-American songwriters 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people American male songwriters Don Giovanni Records artists Takoma Records artists