Bill Text: MS SC653 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Mourn the passing of Mississippi Blues Legend James Cotton of Tunica, Mississippi.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-3)
Status: (Passed) 2017-03-29 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC653 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2017-SC653-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Jackson (11th), Simmons (13th), Barnett, Dawkins, Burton, Blackmon, Butler, Simmons (12th), Norwood, Chassaniol, Jackson (32nd), McDaniel, Stone
Senate Concurrent Resolution 653
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE PASSING OF MISSISSIPPI BLUES LEGEND JAMES COTTON OF TUNICA, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, James Cotton, who learned to play the harmonica as a child in the Mississippi Delta and went on to be a major figure in blues music as a sideman to Muddy Waters and as a Grammy Award-Winning Solo Performer, died March 16, 2017. He was 81; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cotton grew up in the fabled Delta blues heartland of Northern Mississippi and learned the harmonica from his mother before he became an orphan at age nine. He began performing professionally soon thereafter and brought a showman's flair to the classic blues tradition, sometimes doing backflips on stage; and
WHEREAS, a direct link to earlier generations of blues musicians, Mr. Cotton later appeared alongside dozens of acclaimed performers, from Janis Joplin and B.B. King to Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cotton wrote many tunes and sang in a gruff, guttural vocal style, but he was better known for his skill on the harmonica — or "harp," as blues musicians often call it. Along with his mentor, Sonny Boy Williamson, and other artists such as Sonny Terry, Little Walter and Junior Wells, Mr. Cotton was recognized as one of the foremost masters of the blues harmonica. Many of Mr. Cotton's lasting early contributions came during his first tenure with Waters, in Chicago, where from 1954 to 1966 he played in a band that included Guitarist Jimmy Rogers and Pianist Otis Spann. Often heard in close call and response with Waters's deep, declamatory vocals, Mr. Cotton's squalling harmonica animated dozens of recordings Waters made for the influential Chess label, including classics like "Got My Mojo Working" and "Rock Me"; and
WHEREAS, gripping a harmonica and microphone at the same time, Mr. Cotton practiced a technique called circular breathing, in which he inhaled through his nose while continuing to play long, energetic lines on his harmonica. His approach could be mournful, sweet or fleet, and he sometimes played so hard that the small metal-and-wood instrument fell apart in his hands; and
WHEREAS, James Henry Cotton was born July 1, 1935, in Tunica, Mississippi. His parents were sharecroppers. He began playing the harmonica at age five, learning to imitate the sounds of chickens and other farm animals from his mother. After both of his parents died, Mr. Cotton was introduced by a relative to Rice Miller, a Blues Musician and Radio Host better known as Sonny Boy Williamson. Mr. Cotton lived in his household for the next six years. Asked what he learned from Williamson, Mr. Cotton replied, "How to drink and how to play the blues," according to the Chicago Tribune. "Anything he played today, I learned it tomorrow." Despite his relative youth, Mr. Cotton learned a pure style of Delta blues that was fast disappearing. After Williamson moved to Milwaukee, the 15-year-old Mr. Cotton briefly took over his elder's band and radio show. While living near Memphis, Mr. Cotton drove an ice truck and spent two years in the band of another blues giant, Howlin' Wolf. One of Mr. Cotton's early vocal recordings for Sun Records, "Cotton Crop Blues," became a minor rhythm-and-blues hit in 1954. That year, Waters invited Mr. Cotton to move to Chicago and join his band. Mr. Cotton said he suggested that Waters perform "Got My Mojo Working," which became one of his signature tunes; and
WHEREAS, as the blues revival reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Cotton often appeared in concert or on records with younger rock-and-roll stars influenced by his music. Several of his albums from those years, including "100% Cotton" (1974), "High Compression" (1984) and "Live From Chicago: Mr. Superharp Himself" (1986), were ranked among his finest; and
WHEREAS, reunited in a studio with Waters, Mr. Cotton appeared on the Grammy-winning album "Hard Again" in 1977. He received three Grammy nominations for his own work before winning in the best traditional blues category for his 1996 album, "Deep in the Blues," which featured Guitarist Joe Louis Walker and Jazz Bassist Charlie Haden; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cotton moved from Chicago to Memphis in the 1990s, after the death of his first wife, Ceola. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis in 2006 and settled in Austin in 2010. Survivors include his second wife and Manager, Jacklyn Hairston; three children; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, "I'm not sure why my music still speaks so directly to folks," Mr. Cotton told the Los Angeles Times in 1998. "I try to play from deep inside of me and keep the music honest. I prefer it upbeat and up-tempo too, because all the problems people have are gone once we start playing;" and it is with great humility that we recognize the music legacy of a Mississippi music pioneer:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the passing of Mississippi Blues Legend James Cotton of Tunica, Mississippi, and extend to his surviving family and many fans the condolences of the Legislature.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of James Cotton and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
