Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
A colourful documentary about eccentric cult hero Swamp Dogg. For nearly seventy years, the soul, country and hip-hop musician has been marching to the beat of his own drum, along with his friends Moogstar and Guitar Shorty.
In 1970, soul musician Jerry Williams, born in 1942, turned his life around. For years, he had worked as a producer and songwriter for Atlantic Records, claiming to have written around two thousand songs for other artists. He also had a modest career as a singer under the name (Little) Jerry Williams. But he could never settle in the world of the music industry, with its focus on hits and commercial success.
That’s why, in 1970, he reinvented himself as Swamp Dogg. Under this new pseudonym, he released a series of uncompromising, critically acclaimed – but commercially unsuccessful – soul and R&B albums, including the classic Total Destruction To Your Mind (1970). Operating on the fringes of the industry, Swamp Dogg built a unique and daring body of work, full of Frank Zappa-like satire and sharp social commentary. His work was provocative enough to earn him a place on President Nixon’s list of enemies of the state.
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (and yes, the pool really could use a fresh coat) is an extraordinary documentary about a quirky musician who has turned his home into an artistic playground. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Music Documentary at the Nashville Film Festival.