Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

• Songcraft Classic: SWAMP DOGG ("She's All I Got")

  We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2015 conversation with Swamp Dogg.  ABOUT SWAMP DOGGR&B cult favorite Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams is best known as the co-writer, with Gary U.S. Bonds, of the cross-genre classic, “She’s All I Got,” which became a Top 10 R&B single for Freddie North and a #2 country hit for Johnny Paycheck in 1971. Tracy Byrd recorded it in 1996, hitting #4 on Billboard’s Country rankings and introducing the song to a new generation of fans. Williams’ career began in 1954 when, at the age of 12, he made his first record, “HTD Blues.” He found success in the 1960s, recording the Top 40 R&B hit “Baby You’re My Everything” under the name Little Jerry Williams, and writing songs for other artists, including Gene Pitney’s Top 20 Pop single, “She’s a Heartbreaker.” He became Atlantic Records’ first African American staff producer in 1968, but left the following year to pursue independent projects in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. By the 1970s he was an in-demand producer and songwriter, penning Top 40 R&B hits for Doris Duke, Arthur Conley, and Dee Dee Warwick. Around the same time, he reinvented himself as Swamp Dogg, releasing a series of eccentric deep soul albums whose gonzo lyrics were marked by frank sexuality, biting satire, radical politics, and provocative social observations. His debut LP, Total Destruction to Your Mind, was eventually certified Gold, while subsequent releases, including Gag a Maggott, I’m Not Selling Out – I’m Buying In, An Awful Christmas and a Lousy New Year, and The White Man Made Me Do It have earned considerable accolades among underground music lovers and earned Swamp what one journalist described as “a cultural niche somewhere between Rudy Ray Moore and Frank Zappa.” In recent years, his vast catalog has been sampled by Kid Rock, Talib Kweli, DMX, and others. 

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• Ep. 253 - DAVID PAICH of Toto ("Africa")

  Six-time Grammy winner and Toto co-founder David Paich joins us to talk about his life as a hit songwriter for his own band and others.PART ONE:Scott and Paul talk about their visit with David Paich and other bits of tomfoolery.PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with David PaichABOUT DAVID PAICH:David Paich is best known as one of the founding members of Toto, and the writer of some the group’s classic hits such as “Africa,” “Rosanna,” “Hold the Line,” “Georgy Porgy,” “99,” and “Pamela.” In addition to his success with the band, David collaborated with Boz Scaggs on the multi-million-selling Silk Degrees album, including the hits “Lowdown” and “Lido Shuffle,” and he co-wrote and produced the Cheryl Lynn hit “Got to Be Real.” Additionally, David composed much of the score for the David Lynch film Dune as well as the theme music for the 2008 summer Olympics. He is a six-time Grammy winner—including for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Producer of the Year—and he won an Emmy Award for Best Song or Theme. David’s songs have been recorded by Glen Campbell, Chicago, Weezer, Mary J. Blige, Anderson .Paak, and many others. As a studio musician he contributed to legendary recordings, including Michael Jackson’s Thriller album and “We Are the World.” David released his debut solo album, Forgotten Toys, in 2022. 

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• Songcraft Classic: LINDA PERRY ("Beautiful")

  We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Linda Perry.   ABOUT LINDA PERRYSinger, songwriter, musician, producer, and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Linda Perry first made her mark as an artist, serving as lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the group 4 Non Blondes, which is best known for the Top 15 pop hit “What’s Up?” Following a couple of solo albums, Linda emerged as a powerhouse songwriter and producer thanks to her work on P!nk’s multiplatinum Misundaztood album. The debut single, “Get The Party Started,” which Linda wrote solo, was a global smash. She followed it up with another solo-written composition, “Beautiful,” which became a chart-topping ballad for Christina Aguilera that earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. Subsequent chart success came with Gwen Stefani’s debut solo single “What You Waiting For,” Alicia Keys’s “Superwoman,” Ariana Grande’s debut single “Put Your Hearts Up,” Miley Cyrus’s “Hands of Love,” and additional singles for Aguilera, including the Top 10 hits “Hurt” and “Keeps Gettin’ Better.” Recently, Linda collaborated with Dolly Parton on the soundtrack of the film Dumplin’, including the song “Girl in the Movies,” which was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Grammy award. Linda is a four-time Grammy nominee, including a 2019 nomination for Producer of the Year, making her the only solo female producer to ever earn a nomination for their work producing other artists. The long list of artists Linda has produced, collaborated with, or had her songs covered by include Adele, Courtney Love, Cheap Trick, Faith Hill, Britney Spears, KT Tunstall, Weezer, Pat Benetar, Solange, L.P., Joan Jett, The Chicks, Vanessa Carlton, Celine Dion, Elvis Costello, and Lady Gaga. In addition to her prolific songwriting and production activities, Perry is a multi-faceted music industry entrepreneur, having worked as a music publisher, manager, or mentor with artists such as James Blunt, Dorothy, and Natasha Bedingfield.

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• Ep. 252 - JIM JAMES of My Morning Jacket

  Three-time Grammy nominee and My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James joins us to talk about the evolution of his songwriting and the band's new album, Is. PART ONE:Paul and Scott chat about ideal song length and extend an invitation to Taylor Swift PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with Jim JamesABOUT JIM JAMES:Jim James is best known as the frontman of the band My Morning Jacket, which he formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. As the band’s primary songwriter, James has embraced everything from roots music to experimental psychedelic sounds. To date, they’ve released nine full length studio albums, two of which—Evil Urges and Circuital—reached the Top 10 on the Billboard album chart. My Morning Jacket has received three Grammy nominations for Best Alternative Album. In addition to the band, Jim has released four solo albums and formed the supergroup Monsters of Folks with Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis, which released a self-titled album in 2009. My Morning Jacket’s new album is called Is. 

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• Songcraft Classic: BILL WITHERS ("Lean on Me")

  We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2015 conversation with Bill Withers.  ABOUT BILL WITHERSPop and R&B legend Bill Withers released nine albums between 1971 and 1985 that included such classic songs as “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” and “Just the Two of Us.” Though he stepped away from the limelight in the mid-1980s, his songs have become classics that have withstood the test of time and been covered by iconic artists including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, Ike & Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, The Staple Singers, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Sting, Linda Ronstadt, Roberta Flack, Buddy Guy, Barbra Streisand, and George Benson. Additionally, his music has been sampled by Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, L.L. Cool J, Tupac Shakur, and Kanye West. Withers was in the inaugural class of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, and is a nine-time Grammy nominee. He won three Grammy awards for Best R&B song for “Ain’t No Sunshine” in 1971, “Just the Two of Us” in 1981, and the Club Nouveau cover of “Lean on Me” in 1987. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

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