In the seven-decade-long career of LA-based songwriter and producer Swamp Dogg, he has embarked upon numerous genre explorations under the Americana umbrella of music, including in-depth forrays into R&B, soul, and country music across 25 albums.
In this endeavor of his, he eventually forged one of the most bizarre but influential identities in American music and developed a cult following.
Now, he is inviting his loyal fans in an eccentric but still on-brand choice to delve deeper into Bluegrass and its "true origins" in his new record he calls "Blackgrass."
The album, the artist's first work under Oh Boy Records, will be released on May 31, however, Swamp Dogg has recently shared its first and opening track: "Mess Under That Dress."
Ahead of the record's launch, a feature-length documentary about the artist called "Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted" will also be premiering this Friday, March 8, at SXSW. He will also be performing at the 2024 iteration of Luck Reunion on March 14 in Spicewood, Texas.
"Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St" is now available for pre-save and pre-order here.
'Blackgrass,' Swamp Dogg's Return to Form
The record itself is produced by Ryan Olson, who worked with acclaimed musical acts like Poliça and Gayngs, and features an all-star lineup of musicians including Noam Pikelny, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreras, and Kenny Vaughan.
A collection of 12 songs, Swamp Dogg's forthcoming album is a masterful blend of the artist's past and present, incorporating his trademark dichotomous approach of channeling both the sacred and profane in a hodge-podge of folk, roots, country, blues, and soul soundscapes.
"Blackgrass" also features guest appearances from the likes of Margo Price, Vernon Reid, Jenny Lewis, Justin Vernon, and The Cactus Blossoms, however, it is the 81-year-old Swamp Dogg himself who drives its eccentric appeal through his playful yet genuine approach to music.
Indeed, it is this unapologetic perspective that brought him back to the "true origins of bluegrass music," saying that "it came from Black people."
"The banjo, the washtub, all that stuff started with African Americans. We were playing it before it even had a name," he continued. "I'm trying to touch on every kind of music I grew up loving and listening to."
"This is my way of letting people know that I'm not just a soul singer or whatever they think I am. I'm so much more."
Born as Jerry Williams, Jr., the artist's first brush with bluegrass was from a local radio station in his hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia, in the 1940s. That said, he would then spend his later years, across the '50s and '60s, exploring soul, funk, and R&B.
He did so as an artist and as an A&R producer for industry giants like Patti LaBelle, The Commodores, and The Drifters. Despite this widely successful "detour," Swamp Dogg would remain fixated on the musicality possessed by roots music.
"I loved George Jones, Flatt & Scruggs, all of it," he explained. "One of my songs even went all the way to #2 on the country chart when Johnny Paycheck recorded it."
Have a taste of what Swamp Dogg's foray into bluegrass has to offer and listen to his upcoming album's first track below:
