RAT ON!

Hi Folks... you'd never know it, but I'm a huge fan of Jerry 'Swamp Dogg' Williams. Although I've mentioned his work as a songwriter and producer any number of times, somehow I never got around to writing about him as the groundbreaking artist and all-around Great American that he is. Well, as it turns out, now I don't have to.

David Marchese has put together a knockout interview and profile over on SPIN that covers all the bases (and then some!). From his early days hawking songs in the Brill Building, to becoming the first black producer at Atlantic ("Just draw your money and shut the fuck up"), to the great records he cut for Canyon and Mankind on folks like Freddie North and Irma Thomas, to his emergence as an acid-fueled R&B visionary, Marchese has captured the tone and spirit of this uncompromising self-made Legend intact. Check it out!

The Dogg's first two albums, Total Destruction Of Your Mind and Rat On! were re-issued on high quality vinyl and CD just yesterday by Alive Naturalsound Records...

It's great to see Williams finally getting some of the respect and name-recognition he deserves in the mainstream press... after all, he is Tha Real Mother****ing Doggfather!!