CCMusic.com

EU collection. The harmonica as a lead instrument for rock and roll! Yeah, sure, why not? Especially when the mouth harp is wielded by James Cotton, the man who grew up with blues giants during the formative years of rock 'n' roll and went on to have one of the first R&B bands to play on the white rock festival circuit. Cotton - one of the most celebrated figures in the world of blues harmonica - was also a rock 'n' roll man. For that reason, this is one of the most significant discs in our 'Rocks' series. Growing up in a world where rock heroes, and most blues heroes, were singers, guitar players, sometimes piano players, maybe sax men, Cotton said he modelled his harp playing on the saxophone parts in rhythm and blues and jazz. He was championed by rock bands as both an influence and a comrade in the electric blues-rock years. The 'Chicago Tribune' reviewed his harp playing as gritty, gutsy, ferociously uninhibited, and what great harp work is all about. This CD of superfine music shows where the blues came from and where R&B and rock 'n' roll took it. The tracks are full of invigorating harp riffs and solos but they also contain excellent vocal performances by James Cotton himself and by his one-time boss, Muddy Waters.