Swamp Dogg

Swamp Dogg turns 84 on July 12, making him 24 days younger than Paul McCartney, yet he’s still on the rise. He’s been gaining new fans through the 2024 documentary Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted; his 31st album, Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife, is out June 19; and then there’s his cookbook, If You Can Kill It, I Can Cook It. Formerly known as Jerry Williams and Little Jerry Williams, Swamp Dogg is an all-time talent and character. The cover of his 1971 album Rat On! is hall-of-fame worthy itself, but he also has written, performed and/or produced about 2,000 songs while working with hundreds of artists on close to 500 albums. Speaking from his now-famous house, Swamp Dogg reflects on his seven decades of making music; the ways politics and race affected his career; his friendship with John Prine; his role in the 1983 album Beatle Barkers (!) and his ability to keep his songwriting, voice and sense of humor sharp. (Photo by Cooper Davidson.)