Sam Stone
1972 · Cream 1021 · Los Angeles, California
- Artist
- Swamp Dogg
- Title
- Sam Stone
- Release
- Sam Stone / Knowing I'm Pleasing Me and You
- Year
- 1972
- Label
- Cream # 1021
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Songwriter
- John Prine
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
Soul singer Swamp Dogg, born Jerry Williams, Jr. in 1942 in Portsmouth, Virginia, across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk - a navy seaside town in which the 'Norfolk Sound' soul music developed in the early 1960s. He also recorded under the name Little Jerry Williams. He adopted the name Swamp Dogg in 1970: "I became Swamp Dogg in 1970 in order to have an alter-ego and someone to occupy the body while the search party was out looking for Jerry Williams, who was mentally missing in action due to certain pressures, mal-treatments and failure to get paid royalties" - from the linear notes of the 2005 compilation The Best of 25 Years of Swamp Dogg. (1) In 1971 he released the politically charged album Rat On! - with included several reference to Vietnam, in the songs "Do You Believe", "God Bless America (For What)", and "Remember I said Tomorrow", discussed above. Also in 1971, he released the song "Sam Stone", a cover of the John Prine song (found on his 1971 self-titled country album John Prine, Atlantic # SD 8296). This version was released on Cuffed, Collared and Tagged (Elektra Records # EKS 74089). The song told the plight of a Vietnam veteran returning home from the "conflict…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Born 14 July 1942, Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
Themes
Mistreatment of Vet · Drugs · Medals · Purple Heart · Home Front Perspective · Religion