Tag Archives: James Cotton

Jan 10: Muddy Waters released “Hard Again” in 1977

OLD post … You’re being redirected to a newer version……

…..Waters sings as though his life depended on it, Johnny Winter proves with every note how right he was to want to do this, and James Cotton–well, James Cotton doesn’t open his mouth except to make room for the harmonica, which sounds just great.
~Robert Christgau (robertchristgau.com)

This is Muddy Waters’ best “late” album.. Johnny Winter sure inspired the old blues legend to peak performance…. a wonderful record.

Mannish Boy:

Continue reading Jan 10: Muddy Waters released “Hard Again” in 1977

December 20: Pat Hare birthday

pate hare

If highly distorted guitar played with a ton of aggression and just barely suppressed violence is your idea of great blues, then Pat Hare’s your man.
~Cub Koda (allmusic.com)

….Auburn “Pat” Hare, the most aggressive picker to work at Phillips’ studio [Sun Studions that is]. Together, Hare and James Cotton produced one of the truly great blues recordings, “Cotton Crop Blues.”
~From the book: “Good Rockin’ Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ‘N’ Roll

James Cotton (Pat Hare on guitar) – Cotton Crop Blues (May 1954):

Continue reading December 20: Pat Hare birthday

July 01 in Music History

Today: The late Willie Dixon was born in 1915, 99 years ago (read more)

The Blues are the true facts of life expressed in words and song, inspiration, feeling, and understanding.
~Willie Dixon

“The blues will always be because the blues are the roots of all American music.”
~Willie Dixon

willie Dixon2
 James Cotton (born July 1, 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 as well as with his own band. Although he played drums early in his career, Cotton is famous for his work on the harmonica. Cotton began his professional career playing the blues harp in Howlin’ Wolf’s band in the early 1950s. In 1965 he formed the Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet, utilizing Otis Spann on piano to record between gigs with Muddy Waters’ band. In the 1970s, Cotton played harmonica on Muddy Waters’ Grammy Award winning 1977 album Hard Again, produced by Johnny Winter.  james cotton
 “She Loves You” (Recorded 1 July 1963 – EMI Studios, London) is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney based on an idea by McCartney, originally recorded by The Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record in the United States by being one of the five Beatles songs which held the top five positions in the American charts simultaneously. It is The Beatles’ best-selling single in the United Kingdom, and was the best selling single in Britain in 1963.  Beatles_-_She_Loves_You
 Melissa Arnette “Missy” Elliott (born July 1, 1971) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actress. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have six albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one double platinum for her 2002 album Under Construction.  Missy-Elliott-2011

Spotify Playlist – July 01