(1954) Sun 199-A ''My Baby'' James Cotton

STUDIO SESSION FOR JAMES COTTON AT THE MEMPHIS RECORDING SERVICE FOR SUN RECORDS 1953 SUN RECORDING STUDIO 706 UNION AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE SUN SESSION: MONDAY DECEMBER 7, 1953 SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN PRODUCER AND RECORDING ENGINEER - SAM C. PHILLIPS James Cotton was just seventeen when he began hosting his own radio show over KWEM in West Memphis. That same year of 1952 he was playing harmonica with Howlin' Wolf, hanging out with Bobby Bland and playing on his first recording at 706 Union with drummer Willie Nix. He was also driving an ice truck at the time and had to obtain special permission to leave work early to make this session. Showing all the force of rock and roll, ''My Baby'' was the finer of his two Sun singles. (SC) "MY BABY" Composer: - James Cotton Publisher: - B.M.I. - Hi-Lo Music Incorporated Matrix number: - U 98 - Dub Off Disc - Original Master Lost (2:23) Recorded: - December 7, 1953 Released: - April 15, 1954 First appearance: - Sun Records 78/45rpm standard single SUN 199-A mono MY BABY / STRAIGHTEN UP BABY Reissued: - 1994 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15801-2-19 mono THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 1 Name (Or. No. Of Instruments) James Cotton - Vocals Tom Roane - Tenor Saxophone Harvey Simmons - Tenor Saxophone Pat Hare - Guitar Billy Love - Piano Kenneth Banks - Bass Houston Stokes- - Drums It's unclear whether James Cotton's pronunciation was slurred by his Mississippi origins or a half-bottle of Ripple, but it's straight out of the Jimmy Reed school of diction. Nevertheless, Cotton manages to crank up a pretty rocking opus out of a slender riff. Sax and guitar cover a lot of grounds here that might otherwise have been handled by a horn section. Both solos show distinct jazz leanings. (HD) © - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©

Added 15 Jul 2026