Hubbry Logo
Elizabeth CottenElizabeth CottenMain
Open search
Elizabeth Cotten
Community hub
Elizabeth Cotten
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth Cotten
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Key Information

Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten (née Nevills; January 5, 1893 – June 29, 1987)[1][2][3] was an influential American folk and blues musician. She was a self-taught left-handed guitarist who played a guitar strung for a right-handed player, but played it upside down.[4] This position meant that she played the bass lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature alternating bass style has become known as "Cotten picking".[5] NPR stated "her influence has reverberated through the generations, permeating every genre of music."[6]

Her album Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar (1958), was placed into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, and was deemed as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The album included her signature recording "Freight Train", a song she wrote in her early teens.[7] In 1984, her live album Elizabeth Cotten Live!, won her a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording, at the age of 90.[8] That same year, Cotten was recognized as a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts.[9] In 2022, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as an early influence.[10]

Early life

[edit]

Cotten was born in 1893[11] in or near Chapel Hill, North Carolina,[11] although there is debate over her exact birth date due to the poor recordkeeping of the time.[citation needed] Her parents were George Nevill (also spelled Nevills) and Louisa (or Louise) Price Nevill. Elizabeth was the youngest of five children. She named herself on her first day of school, when the teacher asked her name, because at home she was only called "Li'l Sis".[12] By the age of eight, she was playing songs. At age nine, she was forced to quit school and began work as a domestic worker.[13] At the age of twelve, she had a live-in job at Chapel Hill. She earned a dollar a month, that her mother saved up to buy her first guitar.[14][15] The guitar, a Sears and Roebuck brand instrument, cost $3.75 (equivalent to $131 in 2024).[14] Although self-taught, she became proficient at playing the instrument,[16] and her repertoire included a large number of rags and dance tunes.[13]

By her early teens, she was writing her own songs, one of which, "Freight Train", became one of her most recognized.[17] She wrote the song in remembrance of a nearby train that she could hear from her childhood home.[13] The 1956 UK recording of the song by Chas McDevitt and Nancy Whiskey was a major hit and is credited as one of the main influences on the rise of skiffle in the UK.[18]

Around the age of 13, Cotten began working as a maid along with her mother. On November 7, 1910, at the age of 17, she married Frank Cotten.[19] The couple had a daughter, Lillie, and soon after Elizabeth gave up guitar playing for family and church. Elizabeth, Frank and their daughter Lillie moved around the eastern United States for a number of years, between North Carolina, New York City, and Washington, D.C., finally settling in the D.C. area. When Lillie married, Elizabeth divorced Frank and moved in with her daughter and her family.

Rediscovery

[edit]

Cotten retired from playing the guitar for 25 years, except for occasional church performances. She did not begin performing publicly and recording until she was in her 60s. She was discovered by the folk-singing Seeger family while she was working for them as a housekeeper.

While working briefly in a department store, Cotten helped a child wandering through the aisles find her mother. The child was Peggy Seeger, and the mother was the composer Ruth Crawford Seeger. Soon after this, Cotten again began working as a maid, this time for Ruth Crawford Seeger and Charles Seeger, and caring for their children, Mike, Peggy, Barbara, and Penny. The Seeger family kids, who were too young to pronounce "Elizabeth", began calling her "Libba", and she embraced that nickname later in life.[20] While working with the Seegers (a voraciously musical family that included Pete Seeger, a son of Charles from a previous marriage), she remembered her own guitar playing from 40 years prior and picked up the instrument again and relearned to play it, almost from scratch.[14]

Later career and recordings

[edit]

In the later half of the 1950s, Mike Seeger began making bedroom reel-to-reel recordings of Cotten's songs in her house.[21] These recordings later became the album Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar, which was released by Folkways Records. Since the release of that album, her songs, especially her signature song, "Freight Train" — which she wrote when she was a teenager — have been covered by Peter, Paul, and Mary, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, Joe Dassin, Joan Baez, Devendra Banhart, Laura Gibson, Laura Veirs, Tommy Emmanuel, His Name Is Alive, Doc Watson, Taj Mahal, Geoff Farina, Esther Ofarim and Country Teasers.[17][20]

Peggy Seeger took the song "Freight Train" with her to England, where it became popular in folk music circles. British songwriters Paul James and Fred Williams subsequently misappropriated it as their own composition and copyrighted it. Under their credit, it was then recorded by British skiffle singer Chas McDevitt, who recorded the song in December 1956. Under advice from his manager (Bill Varley), McDevitt then brought in folk-singer Nancy Whiskey and re-recorded the song with her doing the vocal; the result was a chart hit. McDevitt's version influenced many young skiffle groups of the day, including The Quarrymen. Under the advocacy of the influential Seeger family, the copyright was eventually restored to Cotten.[22][23] Nevertheless, it remains mis-credited in many sources.

Shortly after that first album, she began playing concerts with Mike Seeger, the first of which was in 1960 at Swarthmore College.

In the early 1960s, Cotten went on to play concerts with some of the big names in the burgeoning folk revival. Some of these included Mississippi John Hurt, John Lee Hooker, and Muddy Waters at venues such as the Newport Folk Festival and the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife.

Bronze statue of Cotten in Libba Cotten Grove, South State St., Syracuse NY.[24]

The newfound interest in her work inspired her to write more songs to perform, and, in 1967, she released a record created with her grandchildren, which took its name from one of her songs, "Shake Sugaree". The song featured 12-year-old Brenda Joyce Evans, Cotten's great-grandchild, and future Undisputed Truth singer.[citation needed]

Using profits from her touring, record releases, and awards given to her for her own contributions to the folk arts, Cotten was able to move with her daughter and grandchildren from Washington, D.C., and buy a house in Syracuse, New York. She was also able to continue touring and releasing records well into her 80s. In 1985, she won the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording, for the album Elizabeth Cotten Live, released by Arhoolie Records. When accepting the award in Los Angeles, her comment was, "Thank you. I only wish I had my guitar so I could play a song for you all." In 1989, Cotten was one of 75 influential African-American women included in the photo documentary I Dream a World.[25]

Cotten died in June 1987, at Crouse-Irving Hospital in Syracuse, New York, at the age of 94.[26]

Guitar style

[edit]

Cotten began writing music while toying with her older brother's banjo. She was left-handed, so she played the banjo in reverse position. Later, when she transferred her songs to the guitar, she formed a unique style, since on a 5-string banjo the uppermost string is not a bass string, but a short, high-pitched string which ends at the fifth fret. This required her to adopt a unique style for the guitar. She first played with the "all finger down strokes" like a banjo.[14] Later, her playing evolved into a unique style of fingerpicking. Her signature alternating bass style is now known as "Cotten picking". Her fingerpicking techniques have influenced many other musicians.[27]

Discography

[edit]

LPs

[edit]

Recordings on CD

[edit]
  • Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs and Tunes (also known as Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar) (1958)
  • Shake Sugaree
  • Live!
  • Vol. 3: When I'm Gone

Special collections

[edit]

Filmography

[edit]

Video and DVD

[edit]
  • Masters of the Country Blues: Elizabeth Cotten and Jesse Fuller (1960)
  • Me and Stella: A Film about Elizabeth Cotten (1976)
  • Elizabeth Cotten Portrait Collection (1977–1985)
  • Homemade American Music (1980)
  • Libba Cotten: An Interview and Presentation Ceremony (1985)
  • Elizabeth Cotten with Mike Seeger (1994)
  • Legends of Traditional Fingerstyle Guitar (1994)
  • Mike Seeger and Elizabeth Cotten (1991)
  • Jesse Fuller and Elizabeth Cotten (1992)
  • The Downhome Blues (1994)
  • John Fahey, Elizabeth Cotten: Rare Performances and Interviews (1969 & 1994)
  • Rainbow Quest with Pete Seeger. Judy Collins and Elizabeth Cotten (2005)
  • Elizabeth Cotten in Concert, 1969, 1978, and 1980 (1969 & 2003)
  • The Guitar of Elizabeth Cotten (2002)

Awards and honors

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Elizabeth Cotten

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten (c. January 5, 1893 – June 29, 1987) was an American folk and musician, singer, and songwriter, celebrated for her self-taught, innovative guitar-playing technique in which she adapted a right-handed guitar for left-handed use by turning it upside down and employing a distinctive thumb-and-finger picking style. Born into a working-class family in —near the train tracks that would inspire her signature composition—she began playing music as a child, composing the enduring folk classic "" around age 11 after purchasing her first guitar at 12. Despite early promise, Cotten largely set aside her music for decades due to family responsibilities and a in her teens, working instead as a domestic helper and laundress. Cotten's career revived unexpectedly in the 1940s when she moved to Washington, D.C., to care for her pregnant daughter and was hired by composer Ruth Crawford Seeger as a housekeeper, where her hidden talent was discovered by the Seeger children, including Mike and Peggy Seeger. This led to her first recordings in the 1950s, culminating in her debut album, Elizabeth Cotten: Negro Folk Songs and Tunes (also released as Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar), issued by Folkways Records in 1957–1958 when she was in her mid-60s. She followed with acclaimed releases such as Shake Sugaree (1967) and When I'm Gone (1979), performing at major folk festivals and venues alongside artists like Joan Baez and the Seegers, thus becoming a pivotal figure in the mid-20th-century American folk revival. Throughout her later career, Cotten's lyrical rags, , and original songs like "Shake Sugaree" and "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie" showcased her rhythmic precision and emotional depth, influencing musicians from to the and earning widespread covers of her work. Her contributions were honored with the National Folk Festival's Award in 1972, the ' National Heritage Fellowship in 1984—the highest honor for folk and traditional arts—and a Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording for her album Elizabeth Cotten Live!. Posthumously, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 as an "Early Influence," cementing her legacy as a trailblazing Black woman in American roots music who overcame personal and societal barriers to share her profound artistry. Elizabeth Cotten was born Elizabeth Nevills on January 5, 1893, in , near the railroad tracks that would later inspire her music. She grew up in a poor, working-class African American family in the segregated South. Her father, George Nevills, worked in iron mines and as a liquor maker but died when Cotten was young. Her mother, Louisa (née Price) Nevills, was a and housekeeper from , who sang and taught her children songs. Cotten had several siblings, including a brother whose she secretly played as a child. From an early age, Cotten was drawn to music, influenced by her mother's singing, her uncles' fiddle playing, and neighborhood gatherings where she learned dancing and guitar basics from a neighbor. As a left-handed child, she taught herself to play her brother's right-handed banjo and a family guitar upside down, without restringing them, developing her distinctive picking style. Captivated by a traveling phonograph demonstration, she dreamed of instruments like the organ and piano but could not afford them. By age 11, after saving 75 cents a month from chores to buy a Stella guitar for $3.75, she composed her signature song "Freight Train," inspired by the sounds of passing locomotives near her home. She also wrote "Babe It Ain't No Lie" around this time. Cotten attended school only through the before leaving to contribute to the family income. She began working as a domestic helper for white families in Chapel Hill, performing chores like cleaning and laundering. At age 14, she was baptized and joined a church, leading her to set aside "worldly" instruments like the guitar and in favor of on the organ. In her mid-teens, around 1907 or 1908, she married Frank Cotten, a foreman at a factory, and gave birth to their daughter Lillie the following year at age 16. With her husband often away working in New York, Cotten lived with her mother and sister, continuing domestic work while raising her child. The couple eventually divorced after Lillie married.

Guitar style

Elizabeth Cotten developed a unique, self-taught guitar style as a left-handed player using a standard right-handed guitar without restringing it. She played the instrument upside down, the strings with her right hand and picking with her left hand. This adaptation placed the bass strings at the top (from her perspective) and the treble strings at the bottom, which she plucked primarily with her while using her index and middle fingers for the bass lines. Her technique, often referred to as "Cotten picking" or "Cotten style," features a distinctive thumb-and-finger fingerpicking pattern that emphasizes intricate bass figures in counterpoint to a melody played on the treble strings. This approach produced a soft, rhythmic sound influenced by early 20th-century African American ragtime, blues, and folk traditions, creating a texture that right-handed players found difficult to replicate exactly. Cotten favored light-gauge strings to achieve a gentler tone and occasionally used open tunings to facilitate her style. Examples of her style are evident in compositions like "," where the alternating bass and melodic lines showcase her precision and rhythmic drive, and "Wilson Rag," which highlights elements through syncopated picking. She described her learning process as intuitive: laying the guitar flat in her lap and experimenting with the strings progressively, without formal instruction.

Discography

LPs

Elizabeth Cotten released a modest but influential body of work on long-playing vinyl records, primarily through Folkways Records, which documented her self-taught guitar style and repertoire of original and traditional African American folk songs. These LPs, recorded between 1958 and 1984, highlight her "Cotten picking" technique—alternating bass notes with melody on guitar—and include seminal tracks like "Freight Train," which she composed as a child. Her recordings gained critical acclaim for preserving Piedmont blues and folk traditions, influencing later generations of musicians. The following table lists her primary original LP releases chronologically:
TitleRelease YearLabel (Catalog No.)Key Details
Negro Folk Songs and Tunes (also released as Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar)1958Folkways (FG 3526)Cotten's debut album, recorded by Mike Seeger in her home; features 12 tracks including "Freight Train," "Wilson Rag," and "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad"; captures her early rediscovery at age 62.
Vol. 2: Shake Sugaree1967Folkways (FTS 31003)Second Folkways installment with 14 tracks such as "Shake Sugaree," "Washington Blues," and "Fox Chase"; emphasizes her instrumental prowess on guitar and banjo.
Vol. 3: When I'm Gone1979Folkways (FA 3537)Late-career release with 13 tracks including "When I'm Gone," "Gaslight Blues," and "Home Sweet Home on Guitar"; showcases matured vocal and guitar performances.
Live!1984Arhoolie (1089)Sole live LP, recorded in concert; includes 11 tracks like "Freight Train," "Washington Blues," and "Till We Meet Again"; won the 1985 Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording.
These LPs form the core of Cotten's recorded legacy, with Folkways reissues on CD in the 1980s and 1990s extending their availability while maintaining the original vinyl's raw, intimate sound.

Recordings on CD

Elizabeth Cotten's original recordings were primarily issued on vinyl LPs during her lifetime, but subsequent CD reissues by reputable labels such as Smithsonian Folkways and Arhoolie Records have preserved and popularized her work for contemporary listeners. These digital formats often include remastered audio, additional liner notes, and bonus material, highlighting her distinctive left-handed guitar playing in open tunings and her repertoire of folk, blues, and original compositions. The CD releases emphasize her evolution from rediscovered folk artist in the 1950s to a Grammy-winning performer in the 1980s. Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs and Tunes (Smithsonian Folkways SF CD 40009, 1989 CD reissue of 1958 Folkways LP FG 3526). This debut album, recorded by folklorist Mike Seeger in the late , captures Cotten's raw, self-taught style on guitar and . Key tracks include the signature "," written in her youth; "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie"; "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad"; and instrumentals like "Vastopol," demonstrating her influences. The CD edition features 18 tracks with extensive notes on her technique and roots. Shake Sugaree (Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40147, 2004 CD reissue of 1967 Folkways LP FTS 31003). Produced during Cotten's rising fame in the folk revival, this album showcases her mature artistry with guitar and occasional vocals, often accompanied by her granddaughter Brenda Evans. Standout tracks are the title song "Shake Sugaree," a haunting original; "Washington Blues"; "Take Me Back to "; and "Georgia Buck." The reissue includes 26 tracks (14 original + 12 bonus), digital remastering for clarity, and essays on her life post-rediscovery. When I'm Gone (Smithsonian Folkways FW 03537, 2004 digital reissue of 1979 Folkways LP FA 3537). Recorded in the late when Cotten was in her , this collection reflects her enduring vitality through intimate home and studio sessions. It features 13 tracks such as "When I'm Gone," "Gaslight ," "Jenny," and "Street ," blending originals with traditional tunes in her signature alternating bass style. The digital edition provides improved sound quality and contextual annotations on her later career. Live! (Arhoolie CD 477, 1998 CD reissue of 1984 live LP Arhoolie 1089). Capturing Cotten's performances in her early 90s at concerts and workshops, this Grammy Award-winning album (Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording, 1985) highlights her engaging stage presence and improvisational flair. The 11-track set includes live renditions of "Freight Train," "Washington Blues," "Jumpin' Jack," "Shake Sugaree," "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie," and spoken anecdotes like "Guitar Story." The CD format enhances the audience interaction and acoustic warmth of the original tapes.

Special collections

The Southern Folklife Collection at the at Chapel Hill maintains extensive archival materials on Elizabeth Cotten, encompassing non-commercial audio recordings, s, and that document her performances and legacy beyond standard releases. Key holdings include the D. K. Wilgus Papers, which feature an artist file assembled by folklorist D. K. Wilgus, containing clippings, correspondence, and other documentation related to Cotten's career. The Collection preserves a of Cotten alongside Bessie Jones at the Smithsonian of American Folklife, offering visual insight into her festival appearances (call number: PF-20006/76). Similarly, the Mike Seeger Collection includes images of Cotten with collaborator Larry Ellis from the 1970s, highlighting her interactions within the community (call number: PF-20009/23). Additional unique recordings in the Southern Folklife Collection capture Cotten's live performances, such as the Elizabeth Cotten Folklife Section Collection from 1978, which documents her appearance on the stage at the through open-reel audio (call number: FT-20006/3046). These materials provide access to unpolished, context-rich examples of her guitar style and repertoire, including originals like "" in informal settings. Beyond UNC, the University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives holds a preserved audio recording of Cotten's full performance at Fiddler's Roundhouse in Seattle on February 12, 1978, showcasing her blues and folk influences in a concert environment. Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives contains footage and audio from a 1991 concert featuring Cotten alongside Mike Seeger, emphasizing her later-career collaborations. Northwestern University's Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections also archives related manuscripts and recordings, including digitized items from folk music festivals (identifier: BFMF_B02_F29_003). Oral histories and interviews form another vital component of these special collections. A 1980 audiocassette interview with Cotten, conducted by Martha Mullen and Dan Maher during a class at the , explores her personal background and musical development. Such resources, often accessible via finding aids or on-site requests, complement commercial outputs by revealing the improvisational and narrative elements of Cotten's artistry.

Filmography

Video and DVD

Elizabeth Cotten's performances and life have been preserved in various films, television appearances, and commercial video and DVD releases, highlighting her music and distinctive left-handed, upside-down fingerstyle guitar technique. Early appearances include the 1960 concert film Masters of the Country Blues: Elizabeth Cotten and Jesse Fuller, featuring Cotten performing songs such as "Freight Train," "Vastopol," and "Washington Blues" alongside Jesse Fuller. Originally filmed in the early 1960s, it was released on VHS in 1992 and later on DVD. A notable documentary is Me and Stella: A Film about Elizabeth Cotten (1976), directed by Geri Ashur, which traces Cotten's life, her guitar "Stella," and her compositions like "Freight Train." The 28-minute film includes interviews and performances and is available for streaming. In 1980, Cotten appeared in Homemade American Music, a documentary on rural southeastern traditional music directed by Yasha Aginsky, performing alongside Mike Seeger, Alice Gerrard, and others. The film showcases her contributions to American folk traditions and is streamable online. Television appearances include an episode of Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest (1965–1966), where Cotten performed "," "Wilson Rag," and "Honey Babe" in a 1966 episode, available on . She also appeared on in 1979, performing in a segment with and others, archived in the show's collections. Later commercial releases include the DVD Elizabeth Cotten In Concert 1969, 1978 & 1980, produced by Vestapol Videos and released in 2004. This collection features three full concert performances recorded live with folklorist Mike Seeger: a 1969 set including "," "Washington Blues," and "Vestapol"; a 1978 concert with prompted recollections of her life and music, encompassing songs like "Rattler," "," and ""; and a 1980 performance of "Graduation March," "," and "Spanish Flang Dang." The DVD runs approximately and provides insight into her evolving stage presence in her later years. Another key DVD is The Guitar of Elizabeth Cotten, an instructional video taught by guitarist John Miller and released by Records in 2011. It includes rare archival film footage of Cotten performing her signature tunes such as "," "Vestapol," and "Shake Sugaree," integrated with lessons on replicating her style. The 102-minute production comes with a booklet containing , standard notation, and for the featured songs, emphasizing her innovative approach to guitar playing. Compilation DVDs also capture Cotten's contributions to traditional . The 2003 Vestapol Videos release Legends of Traditional Fingerstyle Guitar features Cotten alongside artists like and Rev. Gary Davis, showcasing her performance of "" in a 58-minute program dedicated to southern U.S. picking styles. This DVD highlights her as a pivotal figure in folk guitar traditions. Documentary-style videos further document Cotten's legacy. A 2012 educational short titled Libba Cotten Documentary, produced by Alan Gragg and Bryan Weyers for , offers a brief overview of her life, music, and cultural impact through interviews and archival clips, available online via . Additionally, a 1980 episode of the public television series Ramblin' titled "Mike Seeger/Elizabeth Cotten," recorded live and streamable on PBS.org, presents a joint performance segment running 57 minutes, focusing on their collaborative folk interpretations. Posthumously, footage from the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony includes tributes and archival clips of Cotten's performances, honoring her as an Early Influence, available through official Hall of Fame channels as of 2022. These releases, drawn from live recordings, television, films, and educational efforts, have helped sustain interest in Cotten's music, making her performances accessible to new generations of musicians and listeners.

References

  1. https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/elizabeth-cotten
  2. https://townofcarrboro.org/3120/Elizabeth-Libba-Cotten
  3. https://www.npr.org/2022/06/29/1107090873/how-elizabeth-cottens-music-fueled-the-folk-revival
  4. https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-cotten-master-american-folk/music/article/smithsonian
  5. https://guides.lib.unc.edu/elizabeth-cotten/biography
  6. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/magnificent-musical-life-upside-down-guitar-player-libba-cotten-180973785/
  7. https://acousticguitar.com/remembering-folk-icon-elizabeth-cotten-and-her-distinctive-guitar-approach/
  8. https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/freedom-sounds-a-freight-train-picker-elizabeth-cotten
  9. https://folkways.si.edu/artists/elizabeth-cotten
  10. https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-cotten/folksongs-and-instrumentals-with-guitar
  11. https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-cotten/freight-train-and-other-north-carolina-folk-songs-and-tunes/african-american-music/album/smithsonian
  12. https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-cotten/shake-sugaree/american-folk/music/album/smithsonian
  13. https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-cotten/volume-3-when-im-gone/african-american-music-folk/album/smithsonian
  14. https://www.discogs.com/release/1624829-Elizabeth-Cotten-Live
  15. https://folkways.si.edu/elizabeth-cotten/live/blues/music/album/smithsonian
  16. https://www.discogs.com/release/2246182-Elizabeth-Cotten-Shake-Sugaree
  17. https://www.amazon.com/Live-ELIZABETH-COTTEN/dp/B00000DBTZ
  18. https://guides.lib.unc.edu/elizabeth-cotten/archival-collections
  19. https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/20006/
  20. https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/20009/
  21. https://guides.lib.unc.edu/blues-music/piedmontblues/archival
  22. https://collections.library.vanderbilt.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/457347
  23. https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/repositories/7/digital_objects/29412
  24. https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv972533
  25. https://library.unc.edu/wilson/visit/search/
  26. https://www.discogs.com/release/5615126-Elizabeth-Cotten-And-Jesse-Fuller-Masters-Of-The-Country-Blues
  27. https://www.folkstreams.net/films/me-and-stella
  28. https://www.folkstreams.net/films/homemade-american-music
  29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAPibSxgIyw
  30. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13834704/characters/nm2719435
  31. https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Cotten-Concert-1969-1978/dp/B0001BKBHU
  32. https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Elizabeth-Cotten-John-Miller/dp/B000SKX0Q8
  33. https://www.amazon.com/Legends-Traditional-Fingerstyle-Guitar-Elizabeth/dp/B00008AOT2
  34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k439N7Ns0wg
  35. https://www.pbs.org/video/mike-seeger-elizabeth-cotton-iauqvw/
  36. https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/elizabeth-cotten
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.