Biography
Spanning five decades in the music industry, Paul Cotton established himself as a guitarist and vocalist rooted in country-rock. His birth took place in Fort Rucker, Alabama during 1943, coinciding with his adolescence arriving alongside rock & roll's chart supremacy. He began playing guitar at age 13 after absorbing influences that included Les Paul and Duane Eddy, among others, and soon displayed enough skill to pursue music professionally. At 14 he entered his initial band, and two years later, after relocating to Illinois, he joined the Chicago-based Capitols. Early in the 1960s the group renamed itself Mus Twangs and issued a surf-style rendition of Irving Berlin's "Marie," which Mercury Records selected for national release. By 1964, performing a blend of British Invasion material and blue-eyed soul, the musicians operated first as the Genrys and later as the Rovin' Kind. Within the lineup Cotton and fellow guitarist Kal David emerged as central figures whose complementary styles—one shaped by country and early rock & roll, the other by R&B and soul—produced a double-lead-guitar approach that boosted their regional popularity around Chicago. They recorded for the Dunwich label, known as the home of the Shadows of Knight, before evolving into Illinois Speed Press. Under manager James William Guercio the band secured a Columbia Records contract that resulted in two albums and West Coast engagements supporting Chicago and Steppenwolf; during the same era they also shared bills with the country-rock quintet Poco. Illinois Speed Press disbanded in 1970 amid diverging musical priorities between Cotton and David. Around that moment Poco experienced another in its recurring lineup shifts when co-founder Jim Messina declared his departure. Co-founder Richie Furay, recalling Cotton's performances with Illinois Speed Press, recruited him, and Cotton joined Poco shortly thereafter. Nearly all of his subsequent work occurred with Poco, aside from a five-year break at the close of the 1980s when the group went inactive; during that interval he released his debut solo album, Changing Horses. In the early 1990s he and co-founder Rusty Young revived Poco as an active unit that continued performing into 2009. Cotton was recognized for his forceful guitar tone, while Young typically managed pedal steel and additional instruments such as mandolin. Cotton also composed several songs that remained enduring staples of the band's catalog. Paul Cotton died on August 1, 2021; he was 78 years old.
Albums
