Joseph Cotton Jah Walton (born Silbert Walton, 1957, St. Ann,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

) is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

active since the mid-1970s.

Biography

After spending a year working in the Jamaican police force, Walton turned to recording, initially working with

Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and a ...

in 1976, under the name Jah Walton.Larkin, Colin:"The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", 1998, Virgin Books, He then moved to

Harry Mudie Harry A. Mudie (born 1940 in Spanish Town, Jamaica) is a Jamaican record producer.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 315 Biography Harry Mudie attended the St Jago High School.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Vi ...

, recording popular tracks such as "Stay a Yard and Praise God", "Touch Her Where She Want It Most" (the title track from his debut album), and "Married to a Bank Cashier". In the mid-1980s, he began recording under the name Joseph Cotton, immediately having success in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

with "No Touch the Style", leading to a television appearance on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's ''Club Mix'' programme in 1987. Several more reggae chart hits followed in the form of "Things Running Slow", "Pat Ha Fe Cook", "Tutoring", "Judge Cotton", and "What Is This". Cotton continued to perform and record into the 1990s, 2000s and the present day. He now lives in France where he performs at venues throughout the country and elsewhere in Europe both solo and in collaboration with other reggae artists.

Albums

*''Touch Her Where She Want It Most'' (1981) Music Force *''Talk of the Town'' (1984) Thunder Bolt *''Cotton Style'' (1990) South East - credited to Joseph Cotton and the Lord Son (

Glen Brown Glenmore Lloyd Brown (1943 or 1944Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)Tough Times for Glen Brown", '' Jamaica Observer'', 15 July 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2014Larkin, Colin, ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', 1998, Virgin Books, . – 4 ...

) *''No Touch the Style'' (1987) Blue Mountain/ VP *''Dancehall Days'' (1998) Moll Selekta (compilation) *''The Good Old Days of the 70s'' (1998) Teem (Joseph Cotton & Mike Brooks) *''Things You Should Know'' (1999) *''Kingston a Run Red'' (2002) China Visit *''Black & White Ting'' (200?) P.O.T. *''100% Pure Cotton'' (2005) P.O.T. *''Worldpeace'' (2005) P.O.T. *''Unity Amongst the Youths'' (2006) Jet Star *''Showcase'' (200?) *''Joseph Cotton Meets Lion Stepper'' (2009) *''True Life'' (2013) Disco-Box Music *''Nightlife'' (2014) Atili Bandelero Records

References

External links

Joseph Cotton at Roots Archives
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Joseph 1957 births Living people Jamaican reggae musicians People from Saint Ann Parish