I almost fell from my chair when Elizabeth Cotten (1895-1987), entered the Rock Hall. As host of “The Village Folk Show,” I regularly hear Cotten’s name from the mouths of prominent folk artists — Guy Davis, David Bromberg, Gillian Welch, Eliza Gilkyson, Amy Ray. Credited with “Cotten-picking” guitar-playing style — she played left-handed and upside-down — this master’s impact on roots music is strong, deep and continuing.
Cotten’s story is incredible. She found the little girl crying in her department store in Washington D.C. and brought her home to her mother. Peggy Seeger, a singer and songwriter, was the mother of Cotten. She immediately hired her as a domestic. When Mike Seeger discovered her long-dormant talent with a six-string, he recorded and released the 62-year-old’s first record, “Elizabeth Cotten: Folk Songs and Instrumentals with Guitar.”
Cotten was a regular performer on the 1960s folk circuit. She performed at the Newport Folk Festival and then Carnegie Hall. Bob Dylan, Mississippi John Hurt (Peter Paul and Mary) covered her songs, while Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Doc Watson paid her visits during their D.C. tours.
Cotten continued playing live until her death in 1987 — a year after she won her first Grammy at 90. Thirty-five years later, folk artist and historian Rhiannon Giddens told me she’d intentionally walked in Cotten’s footsteps. “When I started getting into music, I learned [Cotten’s ‘Shakee Sugar’], and I also sung and studied with Mike and Peggy Seeger,”She said. “She’s been a part of the fabric of my music [since] I started listening to [folk].”
MarySue Twohy’s voice can be heard on Sirius XM, The Village. The complete Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2022 induction ceremony will be available on HBO at 8 p.m. on November 19. ET, along with a simulcast on SiriusXM’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Radio (ch. 310) and Volume on the SXM App. SiriusXM listeners will also be able to catch live, backstage coverage from Los Angeles’ Nov. 5 Induction Ceremony. “Feedback”Faction Talk (ch. 103) beginning Monday, Nov. 7.