Watch a documentary on one of the great cult figures of 20th century American music.

Jerry Williams Jr. aka Swamp Dogg might not be a household name, but maybe that’s by design. The maverick Southern Soul singer-songwriter, record producer, label owner truly forged his own path in the music industry, and often traced far outside the lines to achieve his singular musical vision. “I wanted to sing about everything and anything and not be pigeonholed by the industry. So I came up with the name Dogg because a dog can do anything, and anything a dog does never comes as a real surprise.”

Case in point: In 1971, Swamp Dogg was famously dropped from his label Elektra after the release of Rat On!, which featured a controversial album cover of the singer triumphantly riding a white rat along with a civil rights soul tune called “God Bless America, For What.” You get the picture… Swamp Dogg recalls, “They didn’t like it. I remember when we went to play the Washington Monument, we had orders into D.C. for over 100,000 records, and Elektra forgot to ship them. They let the album peter out.”

Of course, that didn’t stop “the original D-O double G,” and he would go on to release over a dozen more albums with eccentric album covers and unconventional, satirical, or political messages. Over the years, he’s become a bonafide cult legend and his accolades go well beyond his solo works: his song “She’s All I Got” became a top-ten R&B hit for Freddie North, and reached #2 on the country charts with outlaw country star Johnny Paycheck; he’s written countless songs for artists like Gene Pitney, Tanya Tucker, Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings and produced artists like Solomon Burke, Patti LaBelle, and the Drifters; he helped develop Alonzo Williams’ World Class Wreckin’ Cru, which produced Dr. Dre; the list goes on…

Earlier this year, a documentary on the convention-defying artist began screening in select theaters, and is now available to stream online. Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted is shot largely in the San Fernando Valley, where Swamp Dogg and his housemates / collaborators have been living, and tells the artist’s story through various interviews and casual hangouts with a curious mix of friends including Naeem Juwan (Spank Rock), Mike Judge (King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead, Office Space), comedian Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants), Johnny Knoxville (Jackass), and others.

Official synopsis: “Hidden away, deep in the suburbs of Los Angeles, legendary cult musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, have transformed their home into an artistic playground. Together, they navigate the tumultuous music industry, forging a unique and inspiring bond across time and space.”

Stream the documentary now on Google Play!

Bonus: We also highly recommend watching the Johnny Paycheck episode of Mike Judge’s Tales from the Tour Bus (we recommend the whole series actually) which features Swamp Dogg.