Jeffrey Ralph Cotton (born May 31, 1948) is an American rock guitarist, known for his work as a member of

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

Magic Band The 6-meter band is the lowest portion of the very high frequency (VHF) radio spectrum internationally allocated to amateur radio use. The term refers to the average signal wavelength of 6 meters. Although located in the lower portion of t ...

. Cotton first came to attention as guitarist with Merrell and the Exiles, who had a few local hits in 1964 in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

area. He subsequently joined Blues in a Bottle, which also featured future Magic Band members Mark Boston,

Bill Harkleroad Bill Harkleroad (born January 8, 1949), known professionally as Zoot Horn Rollo, is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work with Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. In 2003, he was ranked No. 62 in a ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...

and John French. He was recruited into the Magic Band in 1967 as a replacement for

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...

. Cotton contributed unique and challenging slide guitar to live performances, ''

Strictly Personal ''Strictly Personal'' is the second album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. It was originally released in October 1968 as the first album on the Blue Thumb Records label. It was released nearly a year after the band had taken to the stud ...

'', '' Mirror Man'' and ''

Trout Mask Replica ''Trout Mask Replica'' is the third studio album by the American band Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released as a double album on June 16, 1969, by Straight Records. The music was composed by Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) and arran ...

''; for which he was renamed Antennae Jimmy Semens. He left the Magic Band in 1970 after being attacked by temporary drummer

Jeff Burchell The Magic Band was the backing band of American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart between 1967 and 1982. The rotating lineup featured dozens of performers, many of whom became known by nicknames given to them by Beefhe ...

during a group "talk" and having ribs broken. But this was probably just the

final straw ''Final Straw'' is the third studio album and major-label debut by Scottish-Northern Irish rock band Snow Patrol, released on 4 August 2003 in the United Kingdom and Ireland and in 2004 in the United States. The album is notable for bringing the ...

, having experienced the reclusive 8 months of rehearsals for ''

'' 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 Merrell Wayne Fankhauser (born December 23, 1943, Louisville, Kentucky, United States) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s with bands including the Impacts, Merrell & the Exiles, HMS Bount ...

(of The Exiles) in a band called MU. 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 Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the Great Commission. The '' Encyclopedia of Christianity'' defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", in ...

. In 1981, long after the group had disbanded, a second LP of unreleased MU material was issued. In 2022 a 50 year recording hiatus ended with his first solo album, ''The Fantasy of Reality''. He has three children.

Discography

With
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

* ''

'' (1968) * ''

'' (1969) * '' Mirror Man'' (1967, released 1971)

With MU

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

Solo

* ''The Fantasy of Reality'' (2022)

References

External links