Blues harmonica virtuoso and onetime Muddy Waters sideman James Cotton died on Thursday at a medical center in Austin of pneumonia. He was 81. A rep for the musician confirmed his death. Cotton, who ...

Phillips released two singles from Cotton, “Straighten Up Baby” in 1953 and “Cotton Crop Blues” the following year. Cotton was still a teenager working as a regular on the Memphis music scene when ...

You can be sure that folks on the historic downtown hotel’s patio were standing throughout the concert. Hummel expects the same when he and Funderburgh return for the 12th annual KXCI House Rockin’ ...

Harmonicas were commonly called “French harps” or “mouth organs” and mountain men played them superbly. Some still do, though such old-fashioned music is not nearly as common as it was before and ...

Born in Baton Rouge in 1924, the blues musician known as Slim Harpo influenced rock bands like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and Pink Floyd. Rock Historian Ed Ward shares Harpo's story. This is FRESH ...

NPR's Scott Simon spoke to James Cotton in 2013. Hear an encore of their conversation at the audio link. James Cotton, one of the foremost blues harmonica players of the 20th century, died Thursday of ...