Eddie Cotton, Jr. brings a special energy to the blues

Eddie Cotton, Jr. is an electric blues guitarist who had an affinity for the blues at an early age. Born in Clinton, Cotton grew up singing and playing gospel music in his father’s church. He began listening to the blues as a youth, and it would not be long before that foot-stomping down-home music would stir in his soul,
inspiring him to pick up the electric guitar and cleverly interpret the blues with an original modern flare.

Cotton studied music theory at Jackson State University, all the while playing at local jukes and sitting in with local artists, including bluesman King Edward Antoine. Cotton also had exposure to a vast list of legendary blues artists, such as Robert Johnson, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, all of whom served as great inspirations. It has been identified as befitting that Cotton parlayed his talents by producing live recordings, such as “Live at the Alamo” and “Back to the Alamo,” as well as studio recordings “You’re the Girl” and “Extra.” In these recordings, Cotton displays his musicianship with an unrelenting charismatic energy that critics say cannot be duplicated, only felt.

His drive and unshakable passion for the blues landed him an opportunity to be featured in Vanity Fair‘s 2003 Music issue, Billboard Magazine, Anne Leibovitz’s book American Music, and more. Cotton has grooved audiences from Mississippi and beyond, including performances at the Chicago Blues Festival, Mississippi Day in Central Park in Manhattan, the Skanevik Blues Festival in Norway, and the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Cotton has also been featured in several films, including Jon Jon in the Sky, The Rising Place, The Robert Johnson Story, and The Last of the Mississippi Jukes. 

Cotton has shared line-ups with Honey Boy Edwards, Hubert Sumlin, Bobby Rush, King Edward, B.B. King, Little Milton Campbell, Ike Turner, Buddy Miles, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, John Mayall, Sony Rhodes, Grady Champion, Zac Harmon, Smokey Wilson, Cassandra Wilson, Mable Staples, Brandy, The William Brothers, Paul Overstreet, Charlie Pride, Marty Stewart, Dorothy Moore, Johnny Lang, Etta James, Gladys Knight, Pattie Labelle, Chaka Khan, Nannette Workman, Ohio Players, The Temptations and more.