Swamp Dogg – Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St
Perhaps beginning with the banjo, which has its origins with African and Caribbean slaves, bluegrass music has very deep roots with Black musicians, a fact muddied roughly a century ago when genres were essentially separated by race to market music more directly. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Black folks didn’t hear “White” music after that. Growing up in Virginia, Jerry Williams, Jr. heard plenty of bluegrass on the radio. And even though he worked primarily in the R&B world early in his career, the man who would eventually adopt the moniker Swamp Dogg never abandoned roots music in his mind. From co-writing a Johnny Paycheck hit (“She’s All I Got”) in the early 70s to working with John Prine shortly before Prine’s death, Swamp Dogg has always kept a foot in country music. His new record, Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St (released on Prine’s Oh Boy label), fully dives into the bluegrass world, complete with a crack band of string musicians. The result is a clever, funny, affecting and occasionally charmingly vulgar collection that’s all Swamp Dogg.
The true Swamp Dogg – complete with that touch of the profane – is present from the first notes of album opener “Mess Under That Dress.” Backed by the ace string band (Chris Scruggs, Sierra Hull, Noam Pikelny, Billy Contreras and Kenny Vaughan) that’s featured across the record, this Williams-penned romp, paced by Pikelny’s banjo, describes a woman’s…well, you know…that’s good enough to charm everyone from the preacher to the undertaker, who laments, “Don’t come in, you’re bad for business/You’re gonna raise the dead.” The next track, “Ugly Man’s Wife,” describes perhaps the fortunate soul who eventually lands that woman. Pairing banjo and Hull’s mandolin, with none other than Jerry Douglas joining in on Dobro, Swamp Dogg offers sly words of wisdom regarding an unassuming fellow who can…still get the job done – “Don’t lose your composure ‘cause he’s hung like a T-bone/Your man can lick his eyebrows, and that’s enough to keep you home.” A little saucy? Sure, but it’s also undeniably sweet when Swamp Dogg, backed here by The Cactus Blossoms, croons, “Ugly men are pretty inside/When you wake up in the morning and he thinks you’re cute.”
Beyond working blue, Swamp Dogg’s got plenty of heart, and it’s been gashed a time or two. “Curtains on the Window,” led by Contreras’ fiddle, shows his torchy-er side as the singer, and his home, bid farewell to a fleeing love – “I heard the doormat whisper to the carpet/’I Guess her mind’s made up, so let her go.’” Williams also unearths some broken-hearted classics, including the Yvonne Williams/Brooks O’Dell-penned “Count The Days,” where he trades pining lines with Jenny Lewis – “I gave you my heart/You gave me hurt/I gave you sugar/You gave me dirt.” Side note – Yvonne Williams is Swamp Dogg’s late wife, adding even a bit more bitter to the sweet.
LIke his old friend John Prine, Swamp Dogg is happy to sing with women, and he knows when to give up the lead. Along with Jenny Lewis, Margo Price shines on Blackgrass, grabbing the spotlight on “To The Other Woman,” an older Swamp Dogg tune (written with Gary “U.S.” Bonds) that springs to life with Price’s take on being the third person in a love triangle, but doing her best to elbow her way to the top slot – “But they don’t know/To the other woman/I’m the other woman/And the other woman is his wife.” But when Swamp Dogg takes top billing, the results are, well, electric. “Murder Ballad” is just that – an eerie tale, characterized by Rory Hoffman’s whistle and cello banjo and Williams’ spoken/sung portrayal of an unrepentant killer whose callousness springs from childhood abuse, ending in revenge – “Mama I made it/I’m on my way home/To you and Pa/To show you I’m finally famous.” The tale ends in the electric chair, with Williams’ character welcoming death. It’s a somber turn for an album so full of life, but it shows Swamp Dogg’s adeptness at telling a wide range of stories. Here’s betting he’s got plenty more left.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Rise Up” – This mostly bluegrass, mostly instrumental romp is set apart by a scorcher of an electric guitar solo from Vernon Reid.
Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St was produced by Ryan Olson. All original songs written by Jerry “Swamp Dogg: Williams Jr. (co-writing credits go to Delayne Stegall, Wayne Stegall, Gary “U.S.” Bonds and Larry Harrison). Musicians on the album include Jerry Williams Jr. (vocals), Chris Scruggs (bass, hambone, lap steel, background vocals), Sierra Hull (mandolin), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Billy Contreras (fiddle), Kenny Vaughan (guitar), Jerry Douglas (Dobro), Margo Price (vocals), Rory Hoffman (12-string mandolin, banjo, accordion, whistle, cello banjo, background vocals), Alistair Sung (cello), Tim Faine (violin), CJ Camerieri (French horn), Jenny Lewis (vocals), Noam Pikelyn (banjo), Moogstar (keyboards), Vernon Reid (electric guitar), Alex Nutter (additional production), and Harry Stinson, The Cactus Blossoms, Blake Morgan, Channy Leaneagh, Lauren Alford, Madison Hallman, Sid Sriram and Justin Vernon (background vocals).
Go here to order Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St (out May 31): https://ohboy.com/collections/music
Check out tour dates here: https://www.theswampdogg.com/tour
Enjoy our previous coverage here: INTERVIEW: Swamp Dogg Talks About His Career, John Prine, and His Latest Album
