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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZCOTTEN, Elizabeth 'Libba'(b 1893, near Chapel Hill NC; d 29 June 1987, Syracuse NY) Singer, songwriter, guitarist. She was married at 15, moved to Washington DC after a divorce and worked in a department store. She found lost child Peggy Seeger, strayed while Christmas shopping, and was hired by the Seegers as a domestic, playing at home for her own amusement. Mike Seeger convinced her to begin performing at age 60. Her best-known song is 'Freight Train', a no. 5 hit in the UK '57, top 40 USA by Chas. McDevitt (see the entry for Skiffle); she had to go to court to establish ownership of a song she had written at age 12. She played the guitar upside down and left-handed, with a two-fingered picking style; with elements of ragtime and gospel, her style became common in folk guitar playing. Negro Folksongs on Folkways followed by Elizabeth Cotten Vol. 2: Shake Sugaree '67, then When I'm Gone. She received a Burl Ives Award '72 for her contribution to folk music, and a Grammy '85 for Elizabeth Cotten Live; she performed until a few months before her death. |