James Henry Cotton (July 1, 1935 - March 16, 2017) is an American blues harmonica performer, singer and songwriter, who appeared and recorded with many great blues artists of his time and with his own ribbon. He played drums early in his career but was famous for his harmonic game.
Cotton started his professional career playing harp blues in Howlin 'Wolf band in the early 1950s. He made his first recording in Memphis for Sun Records, under the direction of Sam Phillips. In 1955, he was recruited by Muddy Waters to come to Chicago and join his band. Cotton became the leader of the Waters band and stayed with the group until 1965. In 1965 he formed Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet, with Otis Spann at the piano, to record between performances with the band Muddy Waters. He eventually went on to form a full-time touring group of his own. Her first full album, at Verve Records, was produced by guitarist Mike Bloomfield and singer and songwriter Nick Gravenites, who later became a member of the Electric Flag band.
In the 1970s, Cotton played the harmonica on the 1977 Muddy Waters' Grammy Award-winning album Hard Again, produced by Johnny Winter.
Video James Cotton
Careers
Cotton was born in Tunica, Mississippi. He became interested in music when he first heard Sonny Boy Williamson II on the radio. He left the house with his uncle and moved to West Helena, Arkansas, find Williamson there. For years Cotton claimed that he told Williamson that he was an orphan and that Williamson took him and raised him, a story he admits in recent years is not true. However, Williamson did mentor Cotton during his early years. Williamson left the South to live with his estranged wife in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, leaving his band in the hands of Cotton. Cotton was quoted as saying: "He just gave it to me but I can not hold it together because I'm too young and crazy at the time and 'everyone in the band is a grown man, much older than me.
Cotton played drums early in his career but was famous for his harmonic game. He started his professional career playing harp blues in Howlin 'Wolf band in the early 1950s. He made his first recording as a solo artist for Sun Records in Memphis in 1953. In 1954, he recorded a single electric blues "Cotton Crop Blues", featuring an electric guitar castrated by chord-driven guitar solos by Pat Hare. Cotton began working with Muddy Waters Band around 1955. He performed songs such as "Got My Mojo Working" and "She's Nineteen Years Old", even though he did not play on the original recordings; Little Walter, Waters 'old harmonic player, played for most of Waters' recording sessions of the 1950s. Cotton's first recorded session with Waters took place in June 1957, and he took turns with Little Walter on Waters recording sessions until the end of the decade.
In 1965 he formed the Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet, with Otis Spann at the piano, to record between performances with the Waters band. Their performance was captured by producer Samuel Charters on a two-volume recording of Chicago/The Blues/Today's Vanguard! After leaving Waters band in 1966, Cotton toured with Janis Joplin while pursuing a solo career. He formed the James Cotton Blues Band in 1967. The band mainly made its own arrangements of the popular blues and R & B from the 1950s and 1960s. Cotton bands include horn sections, such as Bobby Bland's. After Bland's death, his son told the media that Bland had recently discovered that Cotton was his stepbrother.
In the 1970s, Cotton recorded several albums for Buddhist Records. He played harmonica on 1977's award-winning Water's Grammy Award album, Hard Again, produced by Johnny Winter. In the 1980s he noted for Alligator Records in Chicago; he rejoined the Alligator list in 2010. James Cotton Blues Band received a Grammy nomination in 1984 for Live from Chicago: Mr. Superharp Himself! , in Alligator, and the second for his 1987 album Take Me Back , on Blind Pig Records. She was awarded the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album for Deep in the Blues in 1996. Cotton appeared on the cover of July-August 1987 issue of Living Blues magazine (number 76). She is featured in the 40th anniversary edition of the same publication from August to September 2010.
In 2006, Cotton was inducted into The Blues of Fame at a ceremony hosted by the Blues Foundation in Memphis. He has won or shared ten Blues Music Awards.
Cotton battled throat cancer in the mid-1990s, but he continued touring, using singers or band members supporting him as a vocalist. On March 10, 2008, he and Ben Harper performed at Little Walter induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, playing "Juke" and "My Babe" together; an induction ceremony broadcast nationally at VH1 Classic. On August 30, 2010, Cotton was a special guest on Larry Monroe's farewell broadcast from Blue Monday , which he hosted on the KUT radio station in Austin, Texas, for nearly 30 years.
The studio album Cotton Giant , released by Alligator Records in late September 2010, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Her Cotton Mouth Man album, released by Alligator on May 7, 2013, is also a Grammy nomination. These include guest appearances by Gregg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, Ruthie Foster, Delbert McClinton, Warren Haynes, Keb Mo, Chuck Leavell and Colin Linden. Cotton played the harmonica on "Matches Do not Burn Memories" on debut album by Dr. Izzy Band, Blind & amp; Blues Bound , released in June 2013. In 2014, Cotton won the Blues Music Award for Male Traditional Blues Artist and was also nominated in the Best Instrumentalist - Harmonica category.
Band touring Cotton includes guitarist and vocalist Tom Holland, vocalist Darrell Nulisch, bassist Noel Neal (brother of blues guitarist and harmonica player Kenny Neal) and drummer Jerry Porter.
Maps James Cotton
Death
Cotton died of pneumonia on March 16, 2017, at the age of 81, at a medical center in Austin, Texas and was buried on July 11, 2017 at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
Music company
Cotton has worked with many famous artists, including:
Selected discography
- Chicago/The Blues/Today! , vol. 2
- 1965: Chris Barber Presents Jimmy Cotton and Chris Barber Presents Jimmy Cotton - 2 (EP 45-rpm with English band)
- 1967: The James Cotton Blues Band (Verve)
- 1968: Cut Your Loose! (Vanguard)
- 1968: Cotton on Your Ears (Verve)
- 1970: Caring for Businesses (Capitol)
- 1974: 100% Cotton , with Matt "Guitar" Murphy (Buddah)
- 1976: Direct & amp; on Move (Buddah)
- 1978: High Energy (Buddah)
- 1984: High Compression (Alligator)
- 1986: Direct from Chicago: Mr. Superharp Sendiri (Crocodile)
- 1987: Take Me Back (Blind Pig), republished on vinyl, 2009
- 1988: Live at Antone's (Antone's)
- 1990: Harp Attack! , with Carey Bell, Junior Wells, and Billy Branch (Alligator)
- 1991: Mighty Long Time (Anton)
- 1994: 3 Harpa Boogie (Tomato)
- 1994: Living the Blues (Verve)
- 1995: Two Blues Side
- 1996: Far in the Blues (Verve)
- 1998: Seems Like Yesterday (Justin's Time)
- 1998: Late Night Blues: Staying at Penelope CafÃÆ' Â © 1967 (Justin's Time)
- 1999: Best of the Vanguard Years (Vanguard)
- 1999: Superharps , with Charlie Musselwhite, Sugar Ray Norcia, and Billy Branch (Telarc)
- 2000: Fire Down Under (Telarc)
- 2002: 35th Anniversary (Telarc)
- 2004: Baby, Do not You Tear My Clothes (Telarc)
- 2007: Breakin 'It Up, Breakin' It Down , with Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter (Legacy)
- 2010: Giant (Alligator)
- 2013: Cotton Mouth Man (Alligator)
Also see
- Chicago Blues Festival
Reference
External links
- Allmusic
- James Cotton's Discography of Music City
- Official website
- Reviews of Breakin 'It Up Breakin' Down CD at Allmusic.com
- Hondarribia blues festival
- PBS American Roots Music Oral History
- NAMM Oral History Program Interview
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments