NEW YORK: Leading blues harmonica player James Cotton, who rose from poverty to introduce his instrument to the rock world, died Thursday. The Dead had “never seen a man play the harp like that,” he said of his harmonica. He became a mentor to Paul Butterfield, one of the most prominent rockers to play harmonica, a partnership that Cotton credited with giving him a window to white audiences. He had heard pioneering blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson II on the radio and was taken by an uncle to see the master, who took him under his wing. Cotton, who lived his final years in Austin, released his last album in 2013, “Cotton Mouth Man,” a semi-autobiographical look at his roots.

Source: Manila Times March 17, 2017 05:26 UTC