Blues veteran James Cotton is a Mississippi-born singer/songwriter and harmonica player who was inspired and mentored by one of the most influential blues men of all time--Sonny Boy Williamson II. The two musicians met after Cotton relocated to Arkansas, where Williamson took him under his wing and showed him the standards of blue harmonica and vocals. When Williamson moved away from the southern music scene he left his band to Cotton, who was still a boy in the eyes of the full-grown band members, causing the project to fall apart. Cotton released his debut solo album in 1953 and began working with Muddy Waters' band only a couple years later and would go on to play with Waters until he formed his own band, the Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet, in 1967. Throughout his career, Cotton released over two dozen solo albums, including his most renowned effort the 1977 Grammy Award-winning album Hard Again, while finding time to continue collaborating with Waters and touring with artists such as Janis Joplin. His music and accomplishments earned him a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
