elizabeth cotten (1893-1987)
elizabeth cotten (1893-1987)
Embedded Files
Biography
Biography
A Self-Taught Icon of American Music
A Self-Taught Icon of American Music
Every time I listen to or watch Elizabeth Cotten, I feel inspired. She was a self-taught, multi-instrumentalist, who developed a unique style of playing by flipping standard guitars and banjos upside-down so she could play them left-handed. She was a tremendous guitarist who was driven to create and share the music that lived inside of her. Though she did not receive the recognition she deserved when she was alive, it’s not a stretch to say her work deeply influenced the American musical landscape. In the words of Rhiannon Giddens, “Her music is the DNA of so much” (Bernstein, 2022). At the same time, “Many may know her songs, but not know the woman behind them” (Abdul-Hakim, 2020).
“Music is a Funny Thing”
“Music is a Funny Thing”
Elizabeth Nevills was born near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, around 1893 to George Nevills, a miner, and Hannah Nevills, a midwife (Seeger, 1989). Growing up, she was, in her words, “full of music” (Gerrard, 1979), and would often play her older brother’s guitar and banjo in secret. By the age of eight, she taught herself picking patterns, chording, and the basics of the song “Wilson Rag” (Seeger, 1958).
Elizabeth Cotten loved to play guitar. “That used to be all I’d do,” she explained, “I’d sit up at night and play. My mama would say to me, ‘Sis, put that thing down and go to bed’” (Gerrard, 1979). But she would continue to play late into the night. She had no formal training and learned by ear, often emulating tunes she heard in her community. Reflecting on her self-taught beginnings, she said, “Music is a funny thing. It’s something you love. It’s just something comes in you, comes from inside of you” (Gerrard, 1979).
Her unique guitar style, combining ragtime, blues, church songs, and traditional North Carolina folk influences, became iconic (Gerrard, 1979).
A Chance Meeting
A Chance Meeting
At 12, Cotten began working as a house cleaner like her mother, earning one dollar per month. She saved diligently to buy her first guitar, a Stella, for $3.75 (Gerrard, 1979). However, as a teenager, pressure from religious figures in her life led her to abandon secular music. “When I was in my teens I got religion," she explained. "And then the deacons told me, ‘You cannot live for God and live for the devil. If you’re going to play them old worldly songs, them old ragtime things, you can’t serve God that way,’” she recounted, “So I gradually stopped playing” (Gerrard, 1979).
In 1910, Elizabeth married Frank Cotten at the age of 15 and had a daughter, Lillie, a year later. They divorced after Lillie married, and Cotten relocated to Washington, D.C., in the early 1940s with her daughter and grandchildren. She began working in Lansburgh’s Department store where she famously recovered the lost Peggy Seeger and returned her to her mother, composer Ruth Crawford Seeger.
She began working as a domestic for the Seegers around 1947 or 1948; a fortuitous connection that would later help bring her remarkable talent to public attention. It must be said, however; that her work as a domestic worker reflects a deeply entrenched history in the United States of positioning Black women as laboring caregivers relegated to roles that centered on their service to white families often at the expense of their own families, their individuality, and creative potential.
At the same time, her work for the Seegers became a springboard for her journey back to music. “I forgot that I could play guitar . . . there was nobody around played no guitar,” she explained. “Then when I went to work for them [the Seegers] I heard all that music [. . . .]” (Gerrard, 1979). And for their part, the Seegers were encouraging and supportive of Elizabeth Cotten’s obvious talent.
Here she is playing “Wilson Rag” on Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Quest television show in 1965.
Musical Career
Musical Career
Cotten’s career began in earnest when the Seegers encouraged her to record her music. Her debut album, Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar (1958), introduced her signature song, “Freight Train,” which she had composed when she was 12 (Overton, 1983). The song, inspired by the trains near her home, gained international fame but was initially co-opted by others without proper credit. Cotten eventually reclaimed the copyright with the help of the Seegers (Wald, 2022).
In her 60s, Cotten transitioned from domestic work to professional music, performing at major festivals like the 1963 Philadelphia Folk Festival, the 1964 Newport Folk Festival – captured on The Blues at Newport: Part 2 album -- the University of Chicago Folk Festival, and the Smithsonian Folk Festival. By the 1970s, she retired from housekeeping and began touring regularly.
Her other albums included Shake Sugaree (1967), When I’m Gone (1979), and Elizabeth Cotten – Live! (1983), for which she won a Grammy Award.
Cotten’s accolades included a National Heritage Fellowship, National Folk Association’s Burl Ives Award, and three Blues Awards nominations. Her hometown of Carrboro established a day in her honor and a mural by artist Scott Nurkin (pictured); while her other home, Syracuse, New York, dedicated a park, Libba Cotten Grove, and a statue in her honor. Elizabeth Cotten was also posthumously inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, finally recognizing her legacy as a pioneering artist.
“When I’m Gone”
Elizabeth Nevills Cotten played her last concert, organized by none other than the legendary Odetta, in New York City in 1987 (Elizabeth Cotten, n.d.). She passed away two months later in Syracuse, New York, on June 28, 1987, at the age of 96. Today, Cotten is remembered not only for her technical brilliance but also for breaking barriers in a male-dominated field and for representing the resilience of Black women in American music.
Her songs have influenced countless artists and have been covered by music greats like, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Gary Clark Jr., The Beatles, and more.
When I read the lyrics from her song “When I’m Gone,” printed on the album cover, it is a reminder to me of how important it is for us to remember her story and to acknowledge her legacy:
Indeed, Elizabeth Cotten’s music remains, paying witness to her enduring spirit and artistry. My goal is for everyday people to not only know her songs, but to know the great woman behind the music.
Interactive Timeline
Interactive Timeline
Bibliography
Bibliography
Reference works
Elizabeth Cotten [Current revision]. (2024). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Cotten&oldid=1222378965#Further_reading
Elizabeth Cotten facts [Archived from the original]. (2018, August 26). Your Dictionary. https://web.archive.org/web/20180826080720/http://biography.yourdictionary.com/elizabeth-cotten
Elizabeth Cotten [Old revision]. (2024). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Cotten&oldid=1222378965
Elizabeth Cotten [Research Guide]. (n.d.). Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library & Archives. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://library.rockhall.com/c.php?g=1279498&p=9389331
Hargreaves, T. (2022, May 5). Elizabeth Cotten: Resource and subject guide. Field Trip South. https://blogs.lib.unc.edu/sfc/2022/05/05/elizabeth-cotten-resource-and-subject-guide/
Hill, M. (2009). Cotten, Elizabeth Nevills (Libba). NCPedia. https://www.ncpedia.org/cotten-elizabeth-nevills
Komara, E. M. (Ed.). (2006). Cotten, Elizabeth. In Encyclopedia of the blues (p. 228). Routledge.
Lifton, S. (1983). The listener’s guide to folk music. Facts on File. http://archive.org/details/listenersguideto0000lift
Marsh, D., & Swenson, J. (1983). The new Rolling Stone record guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. http://archive.org/details/newrollingstoner00mars
The Blackwell guide to blues records. (1989). Blackwell Reference. http://archive.org/details/blackwellguideto0000unse_e2x1
Wald, G. (n.d.). Hall of fame essay. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. https://rockhall.com/inductees/elizabeth-cotten/
Books
Baggelaar, K., & Milton, D. (1976). Folk music: More than a song. Crowell. http://archive.org/details/folkmusicmoretha00bagg
Bastin, B. (1986). Red River blues: The blues tradition in the Southeast. University of Illinois Press. https://archive.org/details/redriverblues00bruc/mode/1up
Cohn, L. (Ed.). (1993). Nothing but the blues: The music and the musicians. Abbeville Press. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/27380574
Conway, C. (1995). African banjo echoes in Appalachia: A study of folk traditions (1st edition). University of Tennessee Press. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/31707441
Dicaire, D. (2010). The early years of folk music: Fifty founders of the tradition. McFarland & Co. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/610027119
Erlewine, M. (1999). All music guide to the blues (2nd ed.). Miller Freeman Books. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/39756458
Frankel, R. (2019). She can really lay it down: 50 rebels, rockers & musical revolutionaries (who happen to be women). Chronicle Books. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/1089256876
Hood, P. (1986). Artists of American folk music: The legends of traditional folk, the stars of the sixties, the virtuosi of new acoustic music. Quill. http://archive.org/details/artistsofamerica00hood
Lanker, B. (1989). I dream a world: Portraits of black women who changed America (B. Summers, Ed.). Stewart, Tabori, & Chang. https://archive.org/details/idreamworldportr00lank/page/n9/mode/2up?q=beverly+guitar+watkins
Lassiter, M. D., & Crespino, J. (2010). The myth of southern exceptionalism. Oxford University Press. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/496015044
Lawless, R. M. (1965). Folksingers and folksongs in America; a handbook of biography, bibliography, and discography (2nd ed.). New York, Duell, Sloan and Pearce. http://archive.org/details/folksingersfolks00lawl
Menconi, D. (2020). Step it up and go: The story of North Carolina popular music, from Blind Boy Fuller and Doc Watson to Nina Simone and Superchunk. The University of North Carolina Press. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/1147901165
Scott, F. (1991). The Down home guide to the blues. A Cappella Books. http://archive.org/details/downhomeguidetob0000scot
Seeger, P. (1972). The incompleat folksinger (J. M. Schwartz, Ed.). Simon and Schuster. http://archive.org/details/incompleatfolksi00seeg
Veirs, L. (2018). Libba: The magnificent musical life of Elizabeth Cotten. Chronicle Books. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/961388574
Weissman, D. (2005). Which side are you on? An inside history of the folk music revival in America. Continuum. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/123240048
Wenberg, M. (2022). Elizabeth’s song (First Beyond Words paperback edition). Beyond Words. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/1343956299
Dissertations & Theses
Matabane, M. I. (2014). Axe to grind: A cultural history of Black women musicians on the acoustic and electric guitar in the United States [Dissertation, James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies of Emory University]. https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/ws859f962?locale=en
News & Magazine articles
Abdul-Hakim, G. (2020, February 24). This Black female musician you may not know has written songs you probably do. Good Morning America. https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/black-female-musician-written-songs-69078752
AKAs sponsor 10 youths to “Sweet Honey” concert. (1984, March 17). The Carolina Times.
Bernstein, J. (2022, May 11). Rhiannon Giddens on Elizabeth Cotten: “Her music is in the DNA of so much.” Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/elizabeth-cotten-rock-hall-rhiannon-giddens-1351746/
Board, R. (2019, December 17). The magnificent musical life of the upside-down guitar player Libba Cotten. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/magnificent-musical-life-upside-down-guitar-player-libba-cotten-180973785/
Carrboro celebrates Libba Cotten Day. (n.d.). Town of Carrboro, NC. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2329&ARC=4273
Carley, M. (2000, October). Libba Cotten’s guitar. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/libba-cottens-guitar-32846747/
City lights. (1983, June 24). Washington City Paper. https://digdc.dclibrary.org/islandora/object/dcplislandora%3A287622?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=1df338fe575c18cf6a6f&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=7#page/14/mode/1up
City sides: Sisterfire. (1983, July 8). Washington City Paper. https://digdc.dclibrary.org/islandora/object/dcplislandora%3A287624#page/1/mode/1up
Cohen, T. E. (2023, January 5). Elizabeth ‘Libba’ Cotten Day: More than just a 130th birthday anniversary. The Local Reporter. https://thelocalreporter.press/elizabeth-libba-cotten-day-more-than-just-a-130th-anniversay-birthday/
Dean, E. (2022, November 4). Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts Washington guitar legend Libba Cotten. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/11/04/libba-cotten-guitartist-hall-fame/
Dean, K. (2022, May 11). NC native Libba Cotten to be posthumously inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Winston-Salem Journal. https://journalnow.com/entertainment/music/nc-native-libba-cotten-to-be-posthumously-inducted-into-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/article_9ab1a3e3-f102-51fd-bbee-1d9cbbdfd6a7.html
Demmerle, L. (2020, July 23). Remembering folk icon Elizabeth Cotten and her distinctive guitar approach. Acoustic Guitar. https://acousticguitar.com/remembering-folk-icon-elizabeth-cotten-and-her-distinctive-guitar-approach/
Elizabeth Cotten: Master of American folk music. (n.d.). Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-cotten-master-american-folk/music/article/smithsonian
Elizabeth (Libba) Cotten, 95, a blues and folk songwriter. (1987, June 30). The New York Times, 8.
Ferrier, A. (2023, May 14). Elizabeth Cotten: The pioneering musician who kickstarted the folk revival. Far Out. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/elizabeth-cotten-pioneering-musician-kickstarted-folk-revival/
Gaither, W. (1975, November 9). Elizabeth Cotten: A fine southern lady. The North Carolina Anvil, 1, 3.
Grant, D. (2022, October 22). The enduring influence of American original Elizabeth Cotten. Big Issue. https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/the-enduring-influence-of-american-original-elizabeth-cotten/
Herbert, G. (2022, November 21). Syracuse music legend gets short tribute at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Syracuse.Com. https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2022/11/syracuse-music-legend-gets-short-tribute-at-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction.html
Horowitz, A. (1993). Some factors in the equation. In B. Reagon & Sweet Honey in the Rock (Eds.), We who believe in freedom: Sweet Honey in the Rock. . . Still on the journey (pp. 1979–200). Anchor Books. https://archive.org/details/wewhobelieveinfr00reag/page/n5/mode/2up
Krist, S. (2024, May 13). Pete Seeger on Libba Cotten, musical genius cast in bronze in Syracuse. Syracuse. https://www.syracuse.com/kirst/2012/09/post_324.html
“Ladies first: Folkways’ female artists”. (n.d.). [Audio recording]. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://folkways.si.edu/tapestry-of-the-times-episode-29-ladies-first-folkways-female-artists/music/podcast/smithsonian
Local art scene draws diverse performers. (2000, September 22). The Daily Tar Heel.
McCabe, A. (Director). (2022, June 29). How Elizabeth Cotten’s music fueled the folk revival [Broadcast]. In All Things Considered. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/06/29/1107090873/how-elizabeth-cottens-music-fueled-the-folk-revival
McLaren, C. (1990, February 22). The wings of silver freight trains. The Daily Tar Heel, 4.
Merritt, T. (2018, November 20). Holy ghost, unchain my name. Oxford American, 103, Winter 2018. https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1640-holy-ghost-unchain-my-name
Nichols, C. (1994, May 19). Ackland celebrates local life in the old days. The Daily Tar Heel.
Pareles, J. (1983, January 7). Elizabeth Cotten at 90, bigger than the tradition. The New York Times, 18.
Recording notes at area studios. (1973). Unicorn Times.
Seeger, M. (1974, February). Travelin’ blues workshop: Libba Cotten. Unicorn Times.
Seeger, M. (2016, September 20). A “freight train” picker: Elizabeth Cotten. Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/freedom-sounds-a-freight-train-picker-elizabeth-cotten
Seigler, R. (2021, October 20). Opera tells story of Syracuse’s ‘first living treasure’ Libba Cotten. The Stand. https://mysouthsidestand.com/more-news/opera-tells-story-of-syracuses-first-living-treasure-libba-cotten/
Senthil, V. (2022, November 13). Carrboro legend Elizabeth Cotten inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Daily Tar Heel. https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2022/11/city-elizabeth-cotten-rock-roll-hall-fame
Shaffer, J. (2014, July 29). Elizabeth Cotten. Our State. https://www.ourstate.com/elizabeth-cotten/
Shaffer, V. (2018, June). Ten of blues most early influential female guitarists. Guitar Girl Magazine, 1(3). http://www.peachmusic.com/live/images/stories/reviews/180505-Peach-Guitar-Girl-Magazine-vol1-issue3.pdf
Shelton, R. (1965, November 6). Domestic, 71, sings folk songs of own composition in “village”; Elizabeth Cotten, who wrote ’freight train, ’performs with guitar and banjo. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1965/11/06/archives/domestic-71-sings-folk-songs-of-own-composition-in-village.html
Struck, J. (2022, May 5). A star after 60: Syracuse’s Elizabeth ‘Libba’ Cotten taught Jerry Garcia, Pete Seeger the meaning of folk music. Syracuse.Com. https://www.syracuse.com/music/2022/05/a-star-after-60-syracuses-elizabeth-libba-cotten-taught-jerry-garcia-pete-seeger-the-meaning-of-folk-music.html
Summer time in south [Advertisement]. (1978, July 6). The News Journal, 4.
Tensley, B. (2024, August). How this self-taught guitarist became a music legend. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-self-taught-guitarist-became-music-legend-libba-cotten-180984504/
Things you may want to know about the N.C. Bicentennial Folk Life Festival July 3, 4, 5—Eno River Park, Durham. (1976, July 3). The Carolina Times.
Twohy, M. (2022, November 4). Elizabeth Cotten, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame early influencer Inductee, left deep and lasting mark on folk and roots music. Variety. https://variety.com/2022/awards/awards/elizabeth-cotten-rock-hall-marysue-twohy-sirius-xm-1235423941/
Wartofsky, A. (2018, July 6). Sisterfire, a D.C. Women’s Festival from the ’80s, is being resurrected this weekend. Washington City Paper. http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/324351/sisterfire-returns-for-smithsonian-folklife-festival/
Scholarly Articles
Phillips, B. (1974). Piedmont country blues. Southern Exposure, 2(1), 56.
Music Reviews
Durman, C. (2008). Sound recording reviews: African American old-time string band music: A selective discography. Notes, 64(4), 797–808.
Lerman, M. (2007). Freight train and other North Carolina folk songs and tunes—Elizabeth Cotten (1959). National Recording Registry Essay; Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/FreightTrain.pdf
Selected websites
Black, L. (2018, September 14). Take credit: Honoring Elizabeth Cotten. Creatrix. https://www.ledablack.com/take-credit-honoring-elizabeth-cotten/
Demerle’, L. L. (1996). Remembering Elizabeth Cotten. Eclectica, 1(1). https://www.eclectica.org/v1n1/nonfiction/demerlee.html
Dzubay, L. (n.d.). 1979: Volume 3: When I’m gone, Elizabeth Cotten. SIXTYEIGHT2OHFIVE. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://www.68to05.com/essays/volume-3-when-im-gone
Elizabeth Cotten. (n.d.). Elizabeth Cotten. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://elizabethcotten.com/
Elizabeth Cotten. (2024a). Masters of Traditional Arts. http://www.mastersoftraditionalarts.org/artists/72
Elizabeth Cotten. (2024b). AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000796950
Elizabeth Cotten: Songster/songwriter. (n.d.). National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/elizabeth-cotten
Gerweck, S. (2019, March 4). She changed the sound: Libba Cotten. Come Hear North Carolina. https://web.archive.org/web/20220728112329/https://www.ncarts.org/comehearnc/365-days-music/she-changed-sound-libba-cotten
Jones, J. (2019, May 1). Elizabeth Cotten wrote “freight train” at 11, won a Grammy at 90, and changed American music in-between. Open Culture. https://www.openculture.com/2019/05/elizabeth-cotten-wrote-freight-train-at-11.html
Levine, C. (2020, March 16). Elizabeth Cotten: The domestic who wrote a folk classic. The Bluegrass Situation. https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/elizabeth-cotten-the-domestic-who-wrote-a-folk-classic/
McCarthy, P. (2021, March 29). Libba lives on: The enduring influence of humble folk guitarist Elizabeth Cotten. Making Music Magazine. https://makingmusicmag.com/libba-lives-on-the-enduring-influence-of-humble-folk-hero-elizabeth-cotten/
Newport Folk Festival 1964 Setlists. (n.d.). Setlist.Fm. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://www.setlist.fm/festival/1964/newport-folk-festival-1964-33d6a4bd.html
North Carolina Arts Council. (2019, October 5). Making music history: Meet Elizabeth Cotten, 2019 N.C. Music Hall of Fame inductee. Arts Across North Carolina Blog. https://www.ncarts.org/blog/2019/10/05/making-music-history-meet-elizabeth-cotten-2019-nc-music-hall-fame-inductee
Rogers, R. (n.d.). Elizabeth Cotten. I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://womeninoldtimemusic.com/bios/elizabeth-cotten/
Roth, C. (2009, May 30). Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten (ca. 1892-1987). Black Past. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/cotten-elizabeth-libba-c-1892-1987/
Smithsonian Institution. (n.d.). Martin Guitar, used by Libba (Elizabeth) Cotten, in Sounding American Music exhibition, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://www.si.edu/object/martin-guitar-used-libba-elizabeth-cotten%3Anmah_606741
Wald, E. (2016, March 19). Freight train (Elizabeth Cotten). Old Friends: A Songobiography. https://www.elijahwald.com/songblog/freight-train/
Wald, E. (2018, January 6). Shake sugaree (Elizabeth Cotten/Peter Keane). Old Friends: A Songobiography. https://www.elijahwald.com/songblog/shake-sugaree/
Wirz, S. (2021, February 21). Illustrated Elizabeth Cotten discography. Wirz American Music. https://www.wirz.de/music/cotten.htm
Podcasts & Radio
Crimes Against Folk Podcast (Director). (2021, February 16). CAF podcumentary—Elizabeth Cotten [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyQN_R92VAU
Henkin, A. (n.d.). Episode 19 [Broadcast]. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://folkways.si.edu/tapestry-of-the-times-episode-19/music/podcast/smithsonian
Herrera, M. (n.d.). Elizabeth Cotten & Debbie Harry: Women that rock [Broadcast]. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://open.spotify.com/episode/6YN33lJtO9xheZf9CR3Z5X
Kaplan, J. (n.d.). Local legends: Elizabeth Cotten [Broadcast]. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mJmeTAoIWDpAZSreQAA6c
Luzier, G. (n.d.). Elizabeth Cotten born—January 5, 1893 [Broadcast]. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://www.audacy.com/podcasts/this-day-in-history-class-21401/elizabeth-cotten-born-january-5-1893-168136391
Younge, M., & Luby, M. (n.d.). Elizabeth Cotten (8) [Broadcast]. Retrieved October 22, 2024, from https://chapelhillhistory.org/podcast/elizabeth-cotten/
Interviews & performances
Alan Gragg. (2012, November 9). Libba Cotten documentary [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k439N7Ns0wg
Blues and Acoustic Folk. (2016, March 7). Elizabeth Cotten-Rainbow Quest tv show [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAPibSxgIyw
Blues & Folk 1960’s. (2011a, April 8). Elizabeth Cotten pt 1 [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgQEOkuCRZ0
Blues & Folk 1960’s. (2011b, April 8). Elizabeth Cotten pt 2 [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHkRKx014fo
blues.in.colour. (2022, September 2). Elizabeth Cotton—Live (colourised) 1965 [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-OJsy3Z6r8
Bonzo Turrell. (2008a, September 15). Freight train Elizabeth Cotton [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUK8emiWabU
Bonzo Turrell. (2008b, September 15). Georgia buck [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IobSpMzmjQY
Carolina Finds by Geekorman Media. (2022, October 19). Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten—Carrboro’s folk treasure [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7F084mF_U
Christian Research Project. (2021, April 1). Elizabeth Cotten old woman keeps tellin’ her lies on me [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3PF7dEZ164
crtUK. (2007, September 3). Re: Elizabeth Cotten—Freight train [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm5-WdB_aVE&list=PLB2BD129D8F079049&index=11&ab_channel=crtUK
Cotten, Elizabeth, Mullen, M., & Maher, D. (1980). Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten oral history interview (Cage 5134) [Audio Cassette]. Washington State University Libraries’ Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC). https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv972533
Elizabeth Cotten & Mike Seeger In Concert, 1991, Box: 8, In Dom Flemons American Songster Collection, MSS.1062. (n.d.). Vanderbilt University Special Collections. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://collections.library.vanderbilt.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/457347
Elizabeth Cotten - Topic. (2020, April 20). Washington Blues [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Dldiiy87Y
Elizabeth Cotten: Freight train. (1957). [Video recording]. Seeger Family Home. https://folkways.si.edu/national-heritage-awards-honoring-traditional-artists-usa/music/article/smithsonian
Folk Alliance International. (2010, November 30). Elizabeth Cotten Folk Alliance International 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHyM5nNIxWg
folkarchivist. (2010, November 26). Elizabeth Cotten, Georgie buck & interview by Aly Bain (1985) [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tBfGigCW-k
Freight train blues [Tribute Concert]. (2024, September 2). [Streaming]. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/show/freight-train-blues/
“Freight train” by Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten. (2012). [Streaming]. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-cotten/freight-train/folk-african-american/music/video/smithsonian
GtrWorkShp. (2010a, January 27). Spanish flang dang and a jig played by Elizabeth Cotten [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5MTbScgKVE
GtrWorkShp. (2010b, January 27). Two songs played by Elizabeth Cotten [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5MTbScgKVE&list=PLB2BD129D8F079049&index=10&ab_channel=GtrWorkShp
GtrWorkShp. (2014, May 23). Vestapol—Elizabeth Cotten [Streaming]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKQG-JGyn7U
GtrWorkShp. (2024, February 22). Graduation march—Elizabeth Cotten [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCCKW2UKiNE
humbatron. (2010, November 8). “Washington blues” and “I’m going away” by Elizabeth Cotten (1965) [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voPJENW6i4c
North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. (2019, October 21). Elizabeth Cotten- 2019 NC Music Hall of Fame inductee [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWk20QDmEss
Oregon Historical Society. (2018, February 14). Elizabeth Cotten in Portland (Bill Fisher, 1978) [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AazOEGgAQ
Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Quest, episode 3: Rosa Valentin and Rafael Martinez; Elizabeth Cotten. (1965). [Streaming]. WNJU-TV. https://archive.org/details/RainbowQuest03
PureGuitarMagazine. (2013, February 13). Elizabeth Cotton playing Spanish fandango [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnMZ0psnM2A
Relata. (2018, February 7). Elizabeth Cotten—Vastopol [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAYyshyQQJ4
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (2022, December 20). Elizabeth Cotten induction at the 2022 induction ceremony [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaHX6WEi3Pc
Seeger, M. (Director). (2004). Elizabeth Cotten: In concert, 1969, 1978 & 1980 [DVD]. Vestapol Productions, Rounder Records. https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/70887066
Smithsonian Folklife. (2019). A talk with Laura Veirs about Elizabeth Cotten [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tbdfF_YvDI
UNC Libraries. (2020, November 12). When I’m gone: Remembering folk icon Elizabeth Cotten [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfQ5Oit6324
Vestapol Productions & Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop (Producers). (1969). Elizabeth Cotten: In concert, 1969, 1978 & 1980 [DVD]. Vestapol Productions. https://catalog.lib.unc.edu/catalog/UNCb7258307
Vintage Music Hub. (2015, January 29). Elizabeth Cotten—In the sweet by and by [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pUdUX5Gagc
Vintage Music Hub. (2021, September 9). Elizabeth Cotten—Freight train (rare live performance) [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2DCWfBkMSI
White, C.. (1973, December 13). Great, great grandmothers (309) [Streaming]. In Say Brother. https://web.archive.org/web/20080322003456/http://main.wgbh.org/saybrother/programs/sb_0309
Williams, N.. (2019, June 23). Elizabeth Cotten- Honey babe your papa cares for you [Streaming]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYFbIvGkBfY
Yanke, E., & Isaacson, E. (2013). Elizabeth Cotten—Elizabeth Cotten live at Euphoria Tavern 1975 [side A] [Streaming recorded by E. Cotten]. Mississippi Records. https://cotten-anderson7inch.bandcamp.com/album/elizabeth-cotten-marisa-anderson-7
Documentaries
Aginsky, C., & Aginsky, Y. (Directors). (1980). Homemade American music [Streaming]. Aginsky Productions; Folkstreams. https://www.folkstreams.net/films/homemade-american-music
Ashur, G. (Director). (1976). Me & Stella [Streaming]. Folkstreams. https://www.folkstreams.net/films/me-and-stella
Scorsese, M. (Director). (2003). The blues: A musical journey [DVD]. Vulcan Productions. https://catalog.lib.unc.edu/catalog/UNCb4408034
Awards & Historical Markers
Awards winners and nominees: Elizabeth Cotten. (n.d.). The Blues Foundation. Retrieved June 29, 2024, from https://blues.org/awards/
Elizabeth Cotten. (2024). Grammy Awards. https://grammy.com/artists/elizabeth-cotten/1340
Elizabeth Cotton. (n.d.). North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/inductee-item/elizabethcotton/
Elizabeth Cotten 1893-1987 (G-129) [Historical Marker]. (2023, December 20). North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/20/elizabeth-cotten-1893-1987-g-129
Haidet, R. (2022, May 4). Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces 14 inductees for 2022: Dolly Parton, Pat Benatar, Eminem, Duran Duran make the list. WKYC Studios. https://www.wkyc.com/article/entertainment/music/rock-hall/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2022-inductees-induction-class-dolly-parton-pat-benatar-eminem-duran-duran-eurythmics-judas-priest-carly-simon/95-780d297f-76c2-4105-a73d-58bedbe693b4
NC Musician Murals. (n.d.). NC musician murals. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://www.musicianmuralsproject.com/
NEA National Heritage Fellowships. (2020, August 4). [Archived from the original]. National Endowment for the Arts. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804025824/https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/elizabeth-cotten
Nolan, M. & The Post-Standard. (2023, November 3). Libba’s legacy: Musician Elizabeth Cotten to be honored with statue. Syracuse. https://www.syracuse.com/cny/2010/02/libbas_legacy_musician_elizabeth_cotten_to_be_honored_with_statue.html
Nurkin, S. (2020). Elizabeth Cotten mural. Chapel Hill Community Arts and Culture: Public Art. https://www.chapelhillarts.org/arts-experiences/public-art/
Town of Carrboro (Director). (2023, January 5). Libba Cotten Day—January 5, 2023 [Streaming]. http://archive.org/details/tocarrnc-Libba_Cotten_Day_-_January_5_2023
Ulrich, K. (2022, May 6). Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten recognized for folk music contributions. Spectrum News. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2022/05/06/elizabeth--libba--cotten-finally-recognized-for-folk-music-influence
Wald, G. (n.d.). Elizabeth Cotten: Hall of fame essay. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 2, 2024, from https://rockhall.com/inductees/elizabeth-cotten/
Archives & Special Collections
Archives & Special Collections
Use the keyword map below to search the archival collections listed here for materials about and related to Elizabeth Cotten. (Click Image to Enlarge)
"The American Folklife Center (AFC) documents and shares the many expressions of human experience to inspire, revitalize, and perpetuate living cultural traditions."
Materials for Elizabeth Cotten can be found in the following collections:
"The Berkeley Folk Music Festival Archive consists of some 30,000 items, including photographs of over two hundred folk artists and groups, general photographs of Berkeley Folk Music Festivals from 1957-1970, tapes, press clippings, correspondence, publicity information on various performers, and posters and flyers from most of the festivals held during this period.."
The collection includes a section dedicated to content for Elizabeth Cotten (Box: 2, Folder: 29).
Finding Aid: https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/repositories/7/resources/1285
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library that provides free access to a wide range of materials, including books, audio recordings, images, and websites.
The following digitized copies of the Festival of American Folklife programs include interviews and other content related to Elizabeth Cotten:
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library & Archives provides access to materials about its inductees, including "uncut and behind-the-scenes footage of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies and Museum programming, oral histories and interviews, personal papers, photographs, lyric and book manuscripts, posters and flyers," and more.
Materials on Elizabeth Cotten can be found in the following collections:
Sing Out! Records (ARC-0597-1-147 & ARC-0597-2-89)
"The Seeger Family Collection documents the lives and careers of pioneering musicologist Charles Louis Seeger; his second wife, modernist composer Ruth Crawford Seeger; their eldest daughter, folksinger and songwriter Peggy Seeger; and her husband, playwright, singer, and songwriter Ewan MacColl through their music manuscripts, personal and professional papers, and correspondence. The collection also includes papers relating to the Crawford family and materials associated with Pete Seeger, Mike Seeger, other Seeger family members, and Seeger/MacColl family members."
Materials for Elizabeth Cotten can be found in the Peggy Seeger series Subject Files.
Finding aid: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu020009
"The Southern Folklife Collection is an archival resource dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating traditional and vernacular music, art, and culture related to the American South."
The following special and archival collections contain materials on Elizabeth Cotten:
Greenhill Family/FLi Artists/Folklore Productions Collection
Highlander Research and Education Center's Audiovisual Materials
Pete Kuykendall Collection (includes Cotten's Rainbow Quest appearance)
The State Archives of North Carolina collects, preserves, and provides public access to historically significant archival materials relating to North Carolina. Archival materials on Elizabeth Cotten can be found in the following collection:
Arts Council Record Group – Folklife Section (see master tapes: audio, photographs and slides file, resource file, projects file, and the tape logs and accession lists file.
Photo collections
Photo collections
Copyrighted Images Require Permission for Use
Music
Music
Selected Discography & Liner Notes:
Sources: Discogs, Smithsonian Catalog, Wirz' American Music , & Internet Archive
Sources: Discogs, Smithsonian Catalog, Wirz' American Music , & Internet Archive
Folkways Records (FG 3526) (US 1958). Format: LP, Album. Released 1958. View Liner Notes and Special Collections
Folkways Records (FG 3526) (US 1958). Format: Vinyl, LP. Released 1958. View Liner Notes
Smithsonian Folkways (SF 40009). Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue. Released 1989. View Liner Notes
Vanguard Stereolab (VSD - 79181). Format: Vinyl, LP, Stereo. Released 1965. View Liner Notes
Folkways Records (FTS 31003). Format: Vinyl, LP, Stereo. Released 1967. View Liner Notes
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (SFW CD40147). Format: CD. Released 2004. View Liner Notes
Folkways Record (FA 3537). Format: Vinyl, LP, Album. Released 1979. View Liner Notes
Heritage Records (XXXVI). Format: Vinyl, LP, Album. Released 1981. View Images and Special Collections
Arhoolie Records (1089). Format: Vinyl, LP, Album. Released 1983. View Liner Notes and Special Collections
Arhoolie Records (477) (US 1998). Format: CD. Released 1998. View Liner Notes
Flying Fish (FF 090). Format: Vinyl, LP. Released 1986. View Liner Notes
Flying Fish (FF 70090). Format: CD. Released 1993. View Liner Notes
Lessons
The Guitar of Elizabeth Cotten
Featured songs include Freight Train, Spanish Flang Dang, Vestapol, Wilson Rag, Your Papa Loves You, It Ain't No Lie, Oh Babe, and Mama
Elizabeth Cotten & Jessie Fuller
Featured songs include Freight Train, Sweet Bye and Bye, Vastopol, George Buck, Washington Blues, and I'm Going Away
Country Blues Musicianship
Includes performance footage of Blues greats Elizabeth Cotten, Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, John Jackson, Pink Anderson, and Dan Van Ronk.
Legends of Traditional Fingerstyle Guitar
Featuring Elizabeth Cotten, Merle Travis, Doc & Merle Watson, Mance Lipscomb, Rev. Gary Davis, and more.
Traditional and Contemporary Finger-Picking Styles for Guitar
Featuring Elizabeth Cotten, Etta Baker, Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson, John Fahey, Mike Seeger, and more.
Finger-picking Styles for Guitar
Featuring Elizabeth Cotten, Etta Baker, Mississippi John Hurt, Sam McGee, Merle Travis, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Pete Seeger, and more.
Curated Playlist & Other Ways to Listen:
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse