Swamp Dogg, forgotten soul genius

January 26, 1:00 PMLA Vinyl Records ExaminerJason Gelt

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the LA Vinyl Records Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Swamp Dogg's 1971 debut LP on Elektra Records. 

Iconoclast, trailblazer, soul singer. Swamp Dogg's career has spanned six decades, starting in 1954 with a 78 on the Mechanic label as Little Jerry, morphing into Little Jerry Williams and finally settling on the unusual moniker that has accompanied his best recordings for the last 39 years.

Political, irreverent, funny and truthful, his music has consistently set him apart from other soul legends, and perhaps impeded his path into the public consciousness, which generally prefers less challenging material. He has released multiple albums of his own music and has produced and written songs for soul giants like Solomon Burke and James Brown. Even country and pop artists like Loretta Lynne, Gene Pitney and Jerry Reed have covered his songs.

His first single as Swamp Dogg in 1970, "Total Destruction to Your Mind," is a beloved bizarre-o anthem (see the YouTube video below) and his major label debut, "Rat On," on Elektra Records (at the time he was one of two non-white artists signed to the label) remains a mystery and an inspiration to many soul enthusiasts. Not only is the cover art -- pictured above -- completely at odds with what most mainstream soul acts would ever have dreamed of releasing then or now, but the album is a romping, scathing indictment of its era. Swamp Doggs "God Bless America," the first song on the LP's B-side, is a six-minute expose of the threadbare American dream, which includes references to American Indians relegated to reservations, the destructive effects of the Vietnam War and a heartfelt plea for love and peace in a tumultuous time. Interviewed by Richie Unterberger for Perfect Sound Forever in 1998, Swamp Dogg says of the label's reaction to the song,

As a matter of fact, Elektra didn't even put the proper title down on the album. The song is actually called 'God Bless America For What?'...And they refused to print that. They would not do it. I mean they were very, very...straight."

Swamp Dogg's records can go for fairly high prices nowadays, especially his first two LPs, but they're out there if you look long and hard enough.