James Cotton
| James Cotton | |
|---|---|
Cotton in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Henry Cotton |
| Born |
July 1, 1935 Tunica, Mississippi, United States |
| Genres | Blues, Chicago blues, Delta blues, electric blues,jazz, Memphis blues, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, harmonica, drums |
| Years active | 1953–present |
| Labels |
Buddah Records Alligator Records Telarc International |
| Associated acts |
Muddy Waters Howlin' Wolf Matt Murphy Pat Hare |
| Website | Jamescottonsuperharp.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Seydel Silver | |
James Henry Cotton (born July 1, 1934 or 1935) is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who has performed and recorded with many of the great blues artists of his time and with his own band. He played drums early in his career but is famous for his harmonica playing. Cotton began his professional career playing the blues harp in Howlin' Wolf's band in the early 1950s. He made his first recordings 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 Waters's bandleader and stayed with the group until 1965. In 1965 he formed the Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet, with Otis Spann on piano, to record between gigs with Waters's band. He eventually left Waters to form his own full-time touring group. His first full album, on Verve Records, was produced by guitarist Mike Bloomfield and vocalist and songwriter Nick Gravenites, who later were members of the band Electric Flag. In the 1970s, Cotton played harmonica on Waters's Grammy Award–winning 1977 album Hard Again, produced by Johnny Winter.
Born in Tunica, Mississippi, Cotton became interested in music when he first heard Sonny Boy Williamson II on the radio. He left home with his uncle and moved to West Helena, Arkansas, finding Williamson there. For many years Cotton claimed that he told Williamson that he was an orphan and that Williamson took him in and raised him, a story he admitted 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 Cotton's hands. Cotton was quoted as saying, "He just gave it to me. But I couldn't hold it together 'cause I was too young and crazy in those days an' everybody in the band was grown men, so much older than me."
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