The Virginia-born, Los Angeles-based artist, songwriter and producer Swamp Dogg released “Ugly Man’s Wife,” featuring background vocals from The Cactus Blossoms. It’s the final pre-release single to be pulled from his forthcoming album Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St out May 31 via Oh Boy Records.
About the new single, Swamp Dogg explains: “I wrote ‘Ugly Man’s Wife’ with one of my favorite co-writers, Bob Jones, now deceased. I promised him that I would record it on my next album. I kept my word.”
In celebration of the new album, Swamp Dogg has announced an album release show at Zebulon in Los Angeles on the album’s release day with special guests James Intveld and DJ Jonathan Toubin. Tickets are on sale now.
Produced by Ryan Olson (Poliça, Gayngs) and recorded with an all-star band including Noam Pikelny, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreras, and Kenny Vaughan, the 12-song collection is a riotous blend of past and present, mixing the sacred and the profane in typical Swamp Dogg fashion as it blurs the lines between folk, roots, country, blues, and soul. Special guests include Margo Price, Vernon Reid, Jenny Lewis, and Justin Vernon.
“Not a lot of people talk about the true origins of bluegrass music,” says Swamp Dogg, “but it came from Black people. The banjo, the washtub, all that stuff started with African Americans. We were playing it before it even had a name. I’m trying to touch on every kind of music I grew up loving and listening to. This is my way of letting people know that I’m not just a soul singer or whatever they think I am. I’m so much more.”
