FEATURES – September/October 2008

The Resurrection of Swamp Dog: A conversation with "Little Jerry" Williams

Jerry Williams is enjoying a "resurrection" of sorts. But don't call it acomeback.

By Don Harrison

"A comeback?" the talkative and gregarious Portsmouth native laughs into his side of the phone. "First, you gotta go somewhere."

At the age of 12, the future show biz veteran was hawking homemade records to area record shops; he hosted a TV music variety show in Hampton Roads when he was barely in high school. Jerry Williams' resume has since included prominent stints as singer, songwriter, producer, label owner, song publisher and political gadfly; his creative orbit inhabited by a diverse cast of characters, including Lionel Richie, Jane Fonda, Kid Rock, Johnny Paycheck, Dr. Dre and John Prine - imagine them all in one room!

So how come you've probably never heard of this guy?

Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that, since the '70s, Williams has operated under the pseudonym of Swamp Dogg, and with a fiercely independent attitude that has often blurred any public recognition he might've gained from his musically formidable body of work. The pugnacious, profane (and often fiercely political) Dogg is a big name in South America and the Dutch West Indies; the British dig him too. At the time of this interview, Williams had just returned from a tour of Europe and was planning future concert stops in Aruba and Amsterdam.

But in America, it's been a different story, he says. "I can't pay people to come see me."

For the full version of this article, see the September issue of Hampton Roads Magazine-available wherever magazines are sold.

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