Live!

Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten (1893–1987) was an American original. A self-taught musician, Cotten learned to play the guitar left-handed, but she retained the string arrangement for a right-handed player. She is perhaps best known for her song “Freight Train,” which she wrote as a teenager. Cotten did not pursue a music career as an adult, rather supporting herself and family as a domestic. She took up music again while working in the home of folklorist and musicologist Charles Seeger, where she relearned to play the guitar. Home recordings made by Seeger’s son Mike introduced Cotten and her music to the world. She toured with Mike, appearing at the Newport Folk Festival and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. This collection, her only live recording, was also her last. In 1984, it won the Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording.

Track Listing

101	Freight Train	Elizabeth Cotten	04:55
102	Washington Blues	Elizabeth Cotten	04:36
103	Jumpin' Jack	Elizabeth Cotten	03:29
104	Shake Sugaree	Elizabeth Cotten	04:28
105	Shake Sugaree / Banjo Story, Rattler	Elizabeth Cotten	05:23
106	Vastopol	Elizabeth Cotten	04:51
107	Guitar Story	Elizabeth Cotten	04:19
108	Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie	Elizabeth Cotten	07:13
109	Elizabeth Story, et al. / Honey Babe, Your Papa Cares For You	Elizabeth Cotten	07:56
110	Spanish Flangdang	Elizabeth Cotten	02:44
111	'Til We Meet Again	Elizabeth Cotten	01:23