Skeleton At The Banquet

Trouble Town

The absolute cream of James Cotton’s Alligator recordings.  With his huge, blast-furnace sound, larger-than-life personality, and massive frame, Grammy Award-winning harmonica master James “Superharp” Cotton is a blues giant in every respect.  Cotton has been performing professionally since the age of nine and learned directly from the masters – he toured in the bands of Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters.  He launched his solo career in the 1960s, releasing almost 30 albums and touring worldwide since then.  This collection has over 75 minutes of music, and features studio and live solo material, plus songs from Harp Attack!, Cotton’s history-making collaboration with Junior Wells, Carey Bell and Billy Branch. 

The Best Of James Cotton - The Alligator Records Years

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James Cotton - Black Night

Felix Mendelssohn’s travels in Italy, in 1830-31, were an inspiration for his fourth symphony, the performance of which in full is featured in this week's show.  Mendelssohn expressed his delight in Italy in painterly fashion as well, with evocative watercolours of Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast, and Florence (pictured). Plus the Coffee break and many more splendid pieces of music for you to enjoy.

Classics Count 01 Sept 2024

Smoking In Heaven

Tomorrow

Live at the Greek Theatre Disc 1

I'll Play the Blues for You

Shemekia Copeland was born in Harlem, New York on April 10, 1979, and came to her singing career naturally. Her bluesman father recognized his daughter's talent early on. He always encouraged her to sing at home and even brought her on stage to sing at Harlem's famed Cotton Club when she was just eight. At that time Shemekia's embarrassment outweighed her desire to sing. But when she was 15 and her father's health began to slow him down, she received the calling. "It was like a switch went off in my head," recalls Shemekia, "and I wanted to sing. It became a want and a need. I had to do it." 

At 16, Shemekia joined her father on his tours after he was diagnosed with a degenerative heart condition. Soon enough Shemekia was opening, and sometimes even stealing, her father's shows. "She grabbed the crowd with her powerful voice, poised and intense," raved Blues Revue at the time. Eventually, though, it became clear to Shemekia who was helping whom. "Dad wanted me to think I was helping him out by opening his shows when he was sick, but really, he was doing it all for me. He would go out and do gigs so I would get known. He went out of his way to get me that exposure," recalls Shemekia. 

Shemekia stepped out of her father's shadow in 1998 with her groundbreaking debut CD, Turn The Heat Up, recorded when she was only 18. Critics from around the world celebrated her music as fans of all ages agreed that an unstoppable new talent had arrived. News outlets from the New York Times to CNN took note of Copeland's talent, engaging personality, and true star power. "Nothing short of uncanny," said the Village Voice. "She roars with a sizzling hot intensity," added the Boston Globe. 

Copeland followed up with 2000's Grammy-nominated Wicked, 2002's Talking To Strangers (produced by Dr. John) and 2008's The Soul Truth (produced by Steve Cropper). In that short period of time, she earned eight Blues Music Awards, a host of Living Blues Awards (including the prestigious 2010 Blues Artist Of The Year) and more accolades from fans, critics and fellow musicians. Two highly successful releases on Telarc (including 2012's Grammy-nominated 33 1/3) cemented her reputation as a singer who, according to NPR's All Things Considered, "embodies the blues with her powerful vocal chops and fearless look at social issues." USA Today says, "Copeland is a singer with fervor and funk, power and range." 

Copeland has performed thousands of gigs at clubs, festivals and concert halls all over the world and has appeared on national television, NPR, and in newspapers, films and magazines. She is a mainstay on countless commercial and non-commercial radio stations. She's sung with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, James Cotton and many others. She opened for The Rolling Stones and entertained U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Jeff Beck calls her "f*cking amazing." Santana says, "She's incandescent…a diamond." At the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois officially declared Copeland to be "The New Queen Of The Blues." In 2012, she performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. Afterward, Jagger (with whom she sang) sent her a bottle of champagne.

Turn The Heat Up - Copeland Shemekia

Turn The Heat Up

Buy from Amazon

Shemekia Copeland - Married to the Blues

Don't Explain

Your Heart Is As Black As Night

Martin Harley "Ball & Chain"

For the full story see http://bit.ly/XUx2xT

Produced by Tom Hambridge  
Recorded at Sound Stage Studio, Nashville TN  
Engineered by Jim Cooley and Nick Autry  
Mixed &Mastered by Tom Hambridge and Michael Saint-Leon at The Switchyard, Nashville TN
Executive Producer: Bruce Iglauer  

Additional Recording by:  
Shane Baldwin at Elevated Basement, Savannah GA  
Stuart Sullivan at Wire Recording, Austin TX  
Brendan Muldowney at Carriage House, Stamford CT   

Photos by Christopher Durst, christopherdurst.com 
Packaging design by Kevin Niemiec 
Alligator logo by Michael Trossman  

Booking: The Rosebud Agency, www.rosebudus.com 
Management: jacklyn@jamescottonsuperharp.com
jamescottonsuperharp.com  

James Cotton plays and endorses Seydel Harmonicas (seydelusa.com) 
Tom Holland endorses Delaney Guitars (delaneyguitars.com) and GHS Strings (ghsstrings.com) 
Jerry Porter endorses Sabian Cymbals (sabian.com), Smith Drums (myspace.com/smithdrums) and Evans Drumheads (evansdrumheads.com)  

Gregg Allman appears courtesy of Rounder Records 
Joe Bonamassa appears courtesy of J&R Adventures 
Ruthie Foster appears courtesy of Blue Corn Music 
Warren Haynes appears courtesy of Stax Records 
Keb Mo appears courtesy of Yolabelle International/ILG 
Darrell Nulisch appears courtesy of Severn Records

Cotton Mouth Man

Order from Alligator

James Cotton - Mississippi Mud (w/Keb Mo)

Martin Clarke is a Freelance Journalist & Presenter:
Check out our web site www.classicscount.org

Classics Count 01 Sept 2024

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