 Final Sunday in the Park Concert
Sunday, April 27th Presents
Grammy Winning Blues Legend and Harpist, JAMES COTTON 
James Cotton's hard-driving, powerful harmonica performances have earned him a reputation as a foot-stomping, infectious good-time entertainer. "We're talking about the blues, loud and fast and often
get-down dirty; we're talking about James Cotton, a singer, stomper and harp-player extraordinaire," says the New York Daily News.
Cotton's musical career began in 1944, at the age of nine, when he left home in Tunica, Mississippi with his 15˘ harmonica in search of his harp-playing idol Sonny Boy Williamson. Cotton passed himself off
as an orphan, and the legendary blues harpist took him home to raise as a son. Cotton stayed with Sonny Boy, learning the harp and the rigors of the bluesman's life, until the age of 15, when he resolved to
travel his own road.
Cotton's first stop was West Memphis, Arkansas, where he played harp for four years with another blues great, Howlin' Wolf. While with Wolf, he hung out with the fledgling Sun Record Company's crowd,
jamming with the likes of Bobby "Blue" Bland, B.B. King and the only white face in the crowd - Elvis Presley.
Before hooking up with the famed Muddy Waters, Cotton wrote and recorded such classic blues as Feelin' Good, Cotton Crop Blues, and Hold Me In Your Arms.
However, it was the gig with Waters - a job a budding blues harpist could only dream of - that brought Cotton the big career break. Cotton reigned supreme in Muddy's band for nearly 12 years. His powerful
stage presence and aggressive harp playing contributed to Waters' reputation as well as his own.
When he left Muddy's band in 1966 to strike out on his own, Cotton's reputation was expanding beyond the blues world. His influence on the new generation of musicians included teaching the harp to Paul
Butterfield and Peter Wolf. Boz Scaggs, Mike Bloomfield, Steve Miller and Bonnie Raitt all name Cotton as a major influence on their music. Cotton was the only musician ever to have the honor of touring
with Janis Joplin more than once.
The seventies were a prolific time for Cotton. He released albums produced by Mike Bloomfield, Todd Rundgren and Allan Toussaint. In the late seventies, he recorded with Johnny Winter and Steve Miller and
toured with Winter and Muddy Waters. Throughout the eighties, Cotton and his eight piece band were one of the busiest blues acts around.
Cotton's harmonica virtuosity continues unparalled. During one recent session he blew the top right off his harmonica - "just getting warmed up," said Cotton. As evidence of his power, two bulging 30-gallon
Hefty bags full of ravaged harmonicas sit in his basement.
"I'm a blues singer and harpist," says Cotton. "But no matter what category you stick it in - rock, blues, soul, jazz - it's still dance and party music. A lot of times people come expecting sad music - I
like to change their minds 'bout the blues. I also want to let them know where I'm coming from, so I mix some older things in that young audiences might not know. I feel like, I got to teach the blues, to
carry it on."
James Cotton was awarded the 1996 Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional Blues Album for his album, “Deep in the Blues.” And in 2006, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis,
Tennessee. Don’t miss your opportunity to see him in downtown Baton Rouge for FREE this Sunday at Lafayette Park!
The public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs and enjoy brunch on the plaza provided by Sunday in the Park food vendors, at Capital City Grill or neighboring downtown restaurants.
Parking is available in the State Parking Garage located at the corner of Third Street and Convention Street. |
