In 1954, 12 year old Jerry Williams, then performing under the name Little Jerry Williams, made his first recording for Mechanic Records, a blues stomp with a shockingly mature vocal performance. Through the 60s Williams career developed with a number of successful singles, including Im the Lover Man and Baby Youre My Everything, as well as writing and producing hits for Dee Dee Warwick, Doris Duke, and Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles.

It was in 1970, however, that the full extent of Williams eccentric creative genius was unleashed on the world for the first time, with the birth of his musical alter-ego, Swamp Dogg. Created 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, the Swamp Dogg alias, still in use today, allowed Williams to create music that was bolder, raunchier, and more honest to his creative instincts. The Doggs cult classic debut Total Destruction to Your Mind struck a powerful blend of Williams’ classic soulful sensibilities and the blooming psychedelia of the time. Infused in the swirling brew is Swamps blink-and-youll-miss-it humor, a number of acid odes, and a heavy dose of sharp political insight. Though the psychedelic strangeness alienated R&B fans of the time, and the authentic R&B infrastructure prevented it from clicking with hippie audiences, it has retroactively received legendary status in cult music circles.

Swamp Dogg is at his most earnest on lead single Soul to Blessed Soul – out now across all streaming platforms. The song is a wholesome yet triumphant tune about the divine power of love. Paying tribute to the kind of connection that overcomes the deepest hardships and brings out the best in a person, Swamp Dogg can only think to thank God for his good fortune. Anchored on a head-nodding lick from Guitar Shorty, Soul to Blessed Soul is a slow-burning serenade thats sweet, soulful, and at times, a little sexual.

At 78, Swamp Dogg is as sharp of a singer and songwriter as ever. His raunchy yet charismatic sense of humor takes a more forward role on I Need a Job So I Can Buy More Autotune, with earnestly delivered lyrics about all day sex and an entire song dedicated to the perils of Cheating in the Daylight. Many of the records most charming moments emerge from the juxtaposition of Swamps left field humor with genuine messages of love, such as She Got That Fire, which weaves descriptions of imagined sex acts, including but not limited to an encounter involving edible underwear, in between relatively wholesome proclamations like she must be an angel on earth, and when she looks at you, its like sunshine from her eyes. I Need a Job… does more than prove that Swamp’s still got it, it proves hes still getting better.

TRACKS:

• 1I Need a Job
• 2Cheating in the Daylight
• 3Soul to Blessed Soul
• 4She Got That Fire
• 5I Need Your Body
• 6Darlin’ Darlin’ Darlin’
• 7Full-Time Woman
• 8Cheating All Over Again
• 9Show Me