“The blues is all about feeling,” says Grammy Award-winning harmonica legend James “Mr. Superharp” Cotton. “If I don’t feel it, I can’t play it.” Now in his 69th year as a professional musician (starting at age nine), James Cotton not only feels it, he lives it. His overwhelmingly powerful harmonica is one of the iconic sounds of the blues. His skills are unrivaled, his story the stuff of legend.
Born on a cotton plantation in Tunica, Mississippi on July 1, 1935, Cotton learned harmonica directly from Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) as a small child. He toured with Williamson and Howlin’ Wolf, recorded for Sun Records, and spent 12 years with Muddy Waters before stepping out on his own. Leading his own band, he earned his reputation as one of the most commanding live blues performers in the world—a man who could literally suck the reeds out of his harmonica from the pure force of his playing—one high-energy performance at a time.
His new Alligator album, Cotton Mouth Man, is a joyous celebration of his life in the blues. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/drummer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Joe Louis Walker, Susan Tedeschi), the album is a riveting, good-time musical journey through sounds and scenes from Cotton’s long and storied career. With seven songs co-written by Cotton (more originals than he’s ever included on one release) and Hambridge (who co-wrote five additional tracks), the stories the album tells are Cotton’s own, inspired by his colorful and sometimes perilous life. Throughout the CD Cotton’s blast-furnace harmonica sound and larger-than-life personality are front and center.
Helping Cotton tell his stories and showcase his music are guests Gregg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, Ruthie Foster, Warren Haynes, Delbert McClinton and Keb Mo. Forming the core of the backing band on the CD are Hambridge (drums), Rob McNelley (guitar), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Glenn Worf (bass). Tommy MacDonald and Colin Linden each add guitar to one track. Darrell Nulisch, who has been singing in Cotton’s band for many years, expertly handles the vocals on five tracks, while the other members of Cotton’s road band—Tom Holland, Noel Neal and Jerry Porter—are also on board on some of the songs. Cotton, who, after a bout with throat cancer turned the vocal duties over to others, was inspired by the sessions to return to the microphone. He brings the album to a warm-hearted close singing his own Bonnie Blue (the name of the plantation where he was born), helping to make Cotton Mouth Man the most personal, celebratory and just plain fun recording of his seven-decade career. According to Cotton, “I feel so happy about the music in this album. My hope is that everyone who listens feels it. I know I sure did!”
Cotton first recorded under his own name for the Chicago/The Blues/Today! series on Vanguard, and, along with Otis Spann, cut The Blues Never Die! for Prestige before forming the first James Cotton Blues Band. He made his first solo albums—three for Verve and one for Vanguard—in the late 1960s. With bands featuring outstanding musicians including famed guitarist Luther Tucker, he quickly rose to the top of the blues and rock worlds. With his gale-force sound and fearless boogie band (later featuring Matt “Guitar” Murphy), it wasn’t long before he was adopted by the burgeoning hippie audience as one of their own. Cotton shared stages with Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, B.B. King, Santana, Steve Miller, Freddie King and many others.
Cotton’s blistering talent and full-throttle energy kept him in demand at concert halls all over the country. He played the Fillmore East in New York, the Fillmore West in San Francisco and every major rock and blues venue in between. During the 1970s, he cut three albums for Buddah and one for Capitol. He rejoined his old boss Muddy Waters for a series of Muddy albums produced by Johnny Winter, starting with Hard Again in 1977. Cotton also guested on recordings by Koko Taylor and many others. He was joined on his own albums by stars like Todd Rundgren, Steve Miller, Johnny Winter, Dr. John, David Sanborn, Charlie Haden, Michael Bloomfield and Cissy Houston.
Cotton signed with Alligator Records in 1984, releasing High Compression and Live From Chicago, Mr. Superharp Himself! (which earned him the first of his four Grammy nominations). In 1990 he joined fellow Chicago harp masters for the all-star release Harp Attack!. In 1991 the Smithsonian Institution added one of his harmonicas to their permanent collection. Cotton won a Grammy Award in 1996 for his Verve album, Deep In The Blues, and was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2006. During the 2000s Cotton has continued recording and touring relentlessly, playing clubs, concert halls and festivals all over the world, electrifying audiences wherever he performs. Cotton’s 2009 return-to-Alligator release, Giant, was Grammy-nominated. USA Today said, “Since 1966 James Cotton has been carrying the Chicago sound to the world. On Giant, he pours 75 years of living into that harmonica and out comes devastating and powerful blasts of notes.”
In June 2010, Cotton was honored at New York’s Lincoln Center, where his friends Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Taj Mahal, Shemekia Copeland and others paid tribute to him in an all-star concert. In 2013 he toured as part of the all-star “Blues At The Crossroads II,” a tribute to Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, and he continues to perform nationally and internationally with his own high-octane James Cotton Blues Band. Nobody has more fun playing the blues, and the telepathic communication between Cotton and his band (whom he refers to as “my family”) creates inspiring, soulful music that leaves his audience on their feet, grinning and cheering for more. Cotton has recently been signed by the prestigious Rosebud Agency and will be travelling the world in support of the new album.
Cotton Mouth Man proves James Cotton’s high-compression blues harmonica playing is still a true force of nature, while his songs and stories are a living history of the blues. As The San Francisco Examiner says, “James Cotton is an inimitable blues legend. His wailing harmonica blows them away. His improvisations on the blues are full of fun and good humor. The blues don’t get much better.”
Boogie Thing
James Cotton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With hollowed logs and old tom-toms
Right from the jungle so loud and plain
Let's get aboard the boogie train
It's a Boogie Thing
It's a Boogie Thing
It's a Boogie Thing
(All night long)
Went to a dance the other night
The Boogie Band was out of sight
The music was funky
And the band was tight
So we Boogie, Boogie, Boogie
till the fall of daylight
*Correction needed
It's a Boogie Thing
It's a Boogie Thing
It's a Boogie Thing
Boogie all night long
(All night long)
I'm moving and a-grooving with the Blues Brothers Band
The hottest thing in all the land
We got Steve Cropper
We got Duck Dunn
Come on baby lets have some fun
It's a Boogie Thing
It's a Boogie Thing
It's a Boogie Thing
Boogie all night long
(All night long)
The lyrics to James Cotton's song Boogie Thing are all about dancing, music and having fun. The first verse talks about the sounds of drums that can be heard for miles around. These are the drums of the jungle, and they are used to create a powerful rhythm that gets people moving. The second verse describes a dance that the singer attended where the music was "funky" and the band was "tight". This language suggests that the music was high-energy and well-performed, which made people want to dance all night long.
Line by Line Meaning
For miles around you can hear the drums
The sound of the drums travels far, echoing through the area.
With hollowed logs and old tom-toms
The drums are made of natural materials such as logs and animal skins.
Right from the jungle so loud and plain
The drums are reminiscent of traditional jungle music, and their sound is unmistakable.
Let's get aboard the boogie train
The artist invites the listener to join in and begin dancing to the music.
It's a Boogie Thing
Boogie music is a genre that cannot be defined by words alone.
Boogie all night long
The dancing and music can continue without pause throughout the night.
Went to a dance the other night
The singer recently attended a dance event.
The Boogie Band was out of sight
The band playing at the event was incredibly talented and entertaining.
The music was funky
The music was lively, upbeat, and had a distinctive rhythm.
And the band was tight
The instruments were played skillfully and in perfect synchronization.
So we Boogie, Boogie, Boogie till the fall of daylight
The singer and others danced energetically for hours until the sun rose.
I'm moving and a-grooving with the Blues Brothers Band
The artist is currently dancing along with a well-known band named The Blues Brothers.
The hottest thing in all the land
The Blues Brothers are considered by the singer to be the most exciting and popular musical group around.
We got Steve Cropper
The band includes Steve Cropper, who is highly regarded as a guitarist and producer.
We got Duck Dunn
The band also includes Duck Dunn as a bass guitarist, who is equally skilled and respected in his field.
Come on baby lets have some fun
The artist invites their dance partner to have a good time and enjoy the music together.
Contributed by Adrian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@shawnwright5332
2023🤘
@kailakatz
I’m 13 and my dad just showed me this song and now all my friends are vibing
@shawnwright5332
👍🇨🇦
@violet2048
As good today as it was in the 70's.
@dalepalaniuk9338
His best song ever.
@sambamachineryrecords6498
I JUST DISCOVERED THIS BLUES STAR BAND ...... AWESOME ...
@stephensantangelo5106
doesnt get better this. Was very lucky to hear thsi live .
@williamreaves3780
The hottest boogie blues band in the country at that time. My boss at Central Entertainment
told me the story about the time he was booking the Cotton Band. James said, "Hey Bruce,
can't you get me more dates?" Bruce booked him 31 days straight! After the last gig, Cotton
told Bruce, "Don't ever do that again!" LoL The Band : James Cotton, Kenny Johnson, Charles
Calmese, and Matt "Guitar" Murphy.
@jakubmatl1659
got that vinyl wooow
@stephensantangelo5106
ME TO.