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James Cotton Blues Band with Hubert SumlinSaturday, October 21 • 8pm"Harp-player extraordinaire" —New York Daily News Program NotesThough fellow Blues-Hall-of-Famers James Cotton and Hubert Sumlin are known for their indelible contributions to the Chicago blues, their long-lasting friendship and musical collaboration date back to their juke-joint days in Memphis, Tennessee.
Cotton began his blues tutelage under the wing of legendary harp player Sonny Boy Williamson. The gifted, restless teenager soon was blowing down the back roads of Arkansas and Mississippi with Howlin’ Wolf’s band—that is, when he wasn’t hosting his own radio show at the age of 17. Word got out about Cotton, and soon Muddy Waters came calling, adding Cotton to his band, where he’d remain for 12 years, contributing his distinctive sound to such classic blues tracks as “Got My Mojo Working” and “Close to You.” By the late ‘60s the irrepressible showman in Cotton—this was the same man who, when opening for Williamson on the juke joint steps, often out-earned the headliner in tips—was itching to lead his own band. Though the 70-year-old “Superharp” no longer turns the back flips that were once a feature of his shows, his fiery, soulful harmonica playing still packs plenty of acrobatic trills and thrills.
Jimi Hendrix called Hubert Sumlin his favorite guitarist, and Stevie Ray Vaughan named him “the heaviest, most original guitar player I’ve ever heard.” It makes sense then that Howlin’ Wolf plucked Sumlin out of Memphis to contribute his stinging solos to Wolf’s classic Chess Records sides. Following his long tenure as Wolf’s lead guitarist, Sumlin fronted his own groups starting in the mid ‘80s. His recent album, About Them Shoes, features rock guitar royalty Keith Richards and Eric Clapton paying homage to this undisputed blues master.
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