Sorry You Couldnt Make It

Description

Sorry You Couldnt Make It is the long awaited country album from the legendary Swamp Dogg. Recorded in Nashville, featuring John Prine, Justin Vernon, Jenny Lewis, and others. Jerry Williams aka Swamp Dogg first love was country music, listening to it as a Navy family kid growing up in Portsmouth, Virginia. My granddaddy, he just bought country records out the asshole, Swamp remembers. Every Friday when he came home from the Navy yard hed stop off and get his records. His first time performing on stage, in fact, was a country song at a talent show when he was six years old: I did Red Foleys version of Peace in the Valley. While the 77 year-old Williams most enduring persona is the psychedelic soul superhero Swamp Dogg a musical vigilante upholding truths both personal and political since 1970s immortal album, Total Destruction To Your Mind he will tell anybody who will listen that hes considered himself country this entire time. If you notice I use a lot of horns, Swamp says. But actually, if you listen to my records before I start stacking shit on it, Im country. I sound country. Swamp began his professional singing career as Little Jerry Williams back in the 50s before working as an A&R man for Atlantic Records in the late 60s. His biggest hit is actually a country song: 1970s Dont Take Her (Shes All I Got). Written with his best friend Gary U.S. Bonds. Following 2018s critically acclaimed, Ryan Olson-produced Love, Loss, And Auto-Tune his first LP to debut on 11 Billboard charts (including at #7 on Heatseekers) and his first chart ink since his 1970 song Mamas Baby Daddys Maybe. Sorry You Couldnt Make It allows Swamp to finally dive into the sound he grew up playing. With the support of Pioneer Works Press, they recorded the album at Nashvilles Sound Emporium with Olson as producer once again, and backed by a crack studio band led by Derick Lee, a keyboard virtuoso who worked as the musical director of BETs Bobby Jones Gospel Show for nearly four decades. Nashville guitar firebrand Jim Oblon combusts his way through lead duties, while frequent collaborator Moogstar and special guests Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), John Prine, Jenny Lewis, Channy Leaneagh and Chris Beirden of Poliça, and Sam Amidon join the action throughout. A band of 14 players, including Vernon, Lee, Beirden, and Moogstar, among others, provides the background for Swamps devastating new take on Dont Take Her (Shes All I Got). Lead single Sleeping Without You Is A Dragg is one of Swamps most heartfelt songs to date and features Vernon on piano as well as backing vocals by Lewis and Leaneagh. He duets with country-folk legend Prine on two songs. Originally written and demoed in his forties, Please Let Me Go Round Again is a plea for one more chance at life, sung with acute emotional connection. I was looking for a new way for Swamp Dogg to go, he explains. Apart from me singing and writing most of the songs, I didnt participatein other words, I told em, Dont ask me, I wanna see what happens without my influence. It was hard for me to do, ego-wise. Sorry You Couldnt Make It sees Swamp come full circle, and closes what has felt to him like unfinished business. They didnt have any blacks in country until Charlie Pride came along, he says. But in time, all things change and thats what has happened to country music.

Ltd LP on Swamp Green Colored Vinyl Includes a Bonus 7 with 3 unreleased songs. This is for Indie stores only.

All Vinyl comes with Download Card.

RIYL: John Prine, Swamp Dogg, Curtis Mayfield, Lil Nas X.