James Cotton had some mighty big shoes to fill when he replaced Muddy Water's harmonica player, Little Walter, in 1954. Having learned how to wail from none other than Sonny Boy Williamson himself, Cotton was well prepared, and over the next 12 years, he played an integral role in Muddy Water's music as well as the Chicago blues scene in general.
By 1966, he was prepared to make it on his own and formed the James Cotton Blues Band, releasing his debut album for Verve the following year. Along with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Cotton's band soon became favorites among the burgeoning blues/rock scene in San Francisco, through memorable performances at the Fillmore Auditorium and rock venues across America.
In the 1970s, he formed the James Cotton Band, featuring the outstanding guitarist, Matt "Guitar" Murphy. This band became legendary, playing to packed houses around the world. Cotton's roaring vocals and the masterful instrumental abilities of this band dazzled everyone who listened and the group's relentless high energy, more often than not, had audiences up on their feet, dancing, screaming and sweating right along from the minute Cotton took to the stage.