Biography

At his high-energy 1970s peak as a bandleader, James Cotton was a bouncing, sweaty, whirling dervish of a bluesman, roaring his vocals and all but sucking the reeds right out of his defenseless little harmonicas with his prodigious lung power. After stepping into Little Walter's shoes as Muddy Waters' harp ace for a dozen years beginning in 1954, the young Mississippian filled the integral role beside Chicago's blues king with power and precision. Of course, Cotton prepared for such a career move for a long time, having learned how to wail on harp from none other than Sonny Boy Williamson himself. By 1966, Cotton was primed to make it on his own; he made his official full-length album debut for Verve Records in 1967. Throwing a touch of soul into his eponymous debut set, Cotton ventured into the burgeoning blues-rock field as he remained with Verve through the end of the decade. He recorded several albums for Buddah and Alligator. ~ Bill Dahl

Top Tracks

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• Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes

• Black Night

• Blow Wind Blow

• Blues For Jacklyn

• Blues In My Sleep

• Broke And Hungry

• Cotton Jump Boogie

• Cut You Loose

• Dolly Put The Kettle On

• Don't Start Me Talkin'

• Down At Your Buryin'

• Fire Down Under The Hill

• Harp To Harp

• Heard You're Getting Married

• Knock On Wood

• Let Yourself Go

• Lightning

• Little Car Blues

• Love Me Or Leave Me

• Moanin' At Midnight

• Muleskinner Blues

• Negative 10-4

• Next Time You See Me

• Off The Wall

• Rocket 88

• She's Murder (aka "murder In The First Degree")

• Somebody Changed The Lock

• South Side Boogie

• The Hucklebuck

• Turn On Your Love Light

• V-8 Ford Blues

• West Helena Blues

• With The Quickness

Discography

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• Giant

  Alligator Records

  2010

• Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes

  Telarc Distribution

  2004

• 35th Anniversary Jam of the James Cotton Blues Band

  Telarc Distribution

  2002

• It Was a Very Good Year

  Justin Time / Justin Time

  2001

• Fire Down Under the Hill

  Telarc Distribution

  2000

• Superharps

  Telarc / Telarc Distribution

  1999

• Deep in the Blues

  Verve

  1996

• Living the Blues

  Verve

  1994

• Live at Electric Lady

  Sequel

  1992

• Mighty Long Time

  Texas Music Group

  1991

• Harp Attack!

  Alligator Records

  1990

• High Energy

  One Way Records

  1975

• Pure Cotton

  Lilith

  1968