finetune artist: James Cotton

b. 1 July 1925, Tunica, Mississippi, USA. A guitarist and harmonica player, he learned his blues harp style from Sonny Boy "Rice Miller" Williamson in Arkansas before returning to Memphis to lead his own group with guitarist Pat Hare. There he recorded "Cotton Crop Blues" for Sun Records, featuring a tough guitar solo by Hare, and backed Willie Nix. Moving to Chicago, Cotton replaced Junior Wells in the legendary Muddy Waters group in 1955. He stayed for five years, contributing harmonica solos to Waters tracks such as "Got My Mojo Workin'" and "I Feel So Good". After performing with Waters at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960, Cotton began to develop a solo career. He later toured Europe, and recorded for Vanguard Records, Verve-Forecast, Capitol Records (where a 1970 album was produced by Todd Rundgren), Buddah Records (the soul-flavoured 100% Cotton and High Energy, produced by Allen Toussaint), and Antone's. Although he developed a versatile approach, incorporating jazz and soul elements, Cotton retained his Mississippi blues roots, re-recording an old Sun tune, "Straighten Up Baby", on his 1991 album for Antone's. Joe Louis Walker and Dr. John bolstered his 1995 album, Living The Blues, on which Cotton's vocals sounded as dry as sandpaper. It was confirmed in 1999 that Cotton was fighting throat cancer although there were little signs of this on the lively 35th Anniversary Jam and the following Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes.

Listen to James Cotton at Finetune.

Cotton Jump Boogie
Mississippi Freight Train
Blues In My Sleep
Cotton Crop Blues
Down At Your Buryin'