Swamp Dogg contemplates the afterlife

There is no one quite like Swamp Dogg. First, there’s his career: He started recording music when he was just 12 years old as Little Jerry, short for his given name, Jerry Williams Jr.

From there, he released a few singles with a bit of success, went on to write songs for people, and became a producer at Atlantic Records. He made a major impact on country, soul and R&B. All of this took place before he became Swamp Dogg in 1970.

The story goes that the Swamp Dogg was born out of a life-changing psychedelic experience, but as Swamp Dogg, he was able to truly be himself in his music — in all his weird, satirical, very funny and sometimes subversive glory — while still being rooted in the Southern soul he loves.

Starting with his debut album, Total Destruction to Your Mind, in 1970, he’s built a cult following over the last half-century, and he’s now seen as something of a legend.

Today, Swamp Dogg joins World Cafe to talk about his long, strange career, as well as his new album, Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife. It sees the 84-year-old exploring mortality and death in a way that only Swamp Dogg can.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.