Jeff Cotton

Not to be confused with Jeff Cotton (American football).
Jeff Cotton
Birth nameJeffrey Ralph Cotton
Born (1948-05-31) May 31, 1948 (age 76)
Porterville, Tulare County, California, United States
GenresFusion, experimental
OccupationMusician
InstrumentElectric guitar
Years active1964–1975

Jeffrey Ralph Cotton (born May 31, 1948) is an American rock guitarist, known for his work as a member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band.[1]

Career

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Cotton first came to attention as guitarist with Merrell and the Exiles, who had a few local hits in 1964 in the Los Angeles area. He subsequently joined Blues in a Bottle, which also featured future Magic Band members Mark Boston, Bill Harkleroad and John French. He was recruited into the Magic Band in 1967 as a replacement for Ry Cooder.

Cotton contributed unique and challenging slide guitar to live performances, Strictly Personal, Mirror Man and Trout Mask Replica; for which he was renamed Antennae Jimmy Semens. He left the Magic Band in 1970 after being attacked by temporary drummer Jeff Burchell during a group "talk" and having ribs broken, and having experienced the reclusive 8 months of rehearsals for Trout Mask Replica during which Beefheart experimented on the group members with sleep deprivation, food deprivation, and physical violence in an attempt to break their mental state down.

He renewed his professional relationship with Merrell Fankhauser (of The Exiles) in a band called MU.[2] Despite a critically acclaimed album there was no commercial success, and he retired from the music business in 1975 to study the Christian Ministry. In 1981, long after the group had disbanded, a second LP of unreleased MU[3] material was issued.

In 2022 a 50 year recording hiatus ended with his first solo album, The Fantasy of Reality.[4]

Personal life

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He had three children.[5]

Discography

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With Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

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Studio albums

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Year Title Notes Magic Band personnel
1968 Strictly Personal
  • Released in October 1968
  • Label: Blue Thumb (US), Liberty (UK)
  • John French
  • Alex St. Clair
  • Jeff Cotton
  • Jerry Handley
1969 Trout Mask Replica
  • Released on June 16, 1969
  • Label: Straight
  • John French
  • Jeff Cotton
  • Bill Harkleroad
  • Mark Boston
  • Victor Hayden
1971 Mirror Man
  • Released in April 1971 (recorded 1967)
  • Label: Buddah
  • John French
  • Alex St. Clair
  • Jeff Cotton
  • Jerry Handley

With MU

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  • MU (1971)
  • The Last Album (1974, released 1981)
  • Children of the Rainbow (1974, released 1985)

Solo

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  • The Fantasy of Reality (2022)

References

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  1. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Biography: Captain Beefheart". AMG. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Biography: Mu". AMG. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  3. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Biography: Mu". AMG. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  4. ^ "An Interview with Jeff Cotton of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band". 21 September 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Captain Beefheart guitarist Jeff Cotton talks jamming with Frank Zappa and "the eight months of emotional trauma" that went into making Trout Mask Replica". 16 September 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
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