In observance of Black History Month, I will be celebrating Africa-American music all February long. This first installment comes to us by way of Elizabeth Cotton, an American blues and folk musician, singer, and songwriter from Carrboro, NC.
Cotten was a self-taught left-handed guitarist, who developed her own original style. She played a guitar strung for a right-handed player, but played it upside down, as she was left-handed. This position meant that she would play the bass lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature alternating bass style has become known as "Cotten picking"
I learned this song from none other than Jerry Garcia, who performed the song during his folkie days in Palo Alto, CA. It was a staple in his solo/duo sets as well as both the JGB and the Grateful Dead.
It's a fun little song that Cotten wrote about a mean old woman from her neighborhood in Carrboro who used to make up lies about her, which then got her in trouble with her own parents. I hope you enjoy my take on this classic folk song.
Comments