Swamp Dogg

“I’m coming in on my final approach,” testifies the artist formerly known as Jerry Williams Jr. on the last song of his S-Curve Records debut, the aptly named Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife. The 84-year-old nailed the landing on an album that makes a case for his Grammy-worthy Americana credentials as a Zelig-like figure in modern music history, equally adept at blues and country, but also encompassing gospel, funk, soul, R&B, bluegrass and, of course, rock ‘n’ roll. Co-produced by Swamp Dogg with S-Curve founder Steve Greenberg, and collaborators Mike Mangini and Sam Hollander, the album’s 10 new tracks feature eight originals and two covers. For more than six decades, Jerry has been a notable producer, songwriter, and collaborator with such artists as Gene Pitney, Johnny Paycheck, Irma Thomas, Margo Price, Z. Z. Hill, Freddie North, The Commodores, Arthur Conley, Bon Iver, Vernon Reid, John Prine and Jenny Lewis. Swamp Dogg is the alter-ego he invented for himself in 1970 (long before that other Dogg) in the midst of a recording career that saw him debut as “Little Jerry” at the age of 12. As Swamp Dogg, he has recorded and released no fewer than 27 studio albums on labels including Island, Elektra, DJM, Takoma, Volt, Point Blank, Oh Boy and now, S-Curve, for Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife. And while the new album offers Swamp Dogg’s well-earned perspective on a life well-lived, it also provides convincing evidence that perhaps the best is yet to come.