Smokin' Joe Cotton

SMOKIN’ JOE COTTON

Track 1 from Smokin’ Joe Cotton, The Blues'll Never Be The Same.

“I grew up around 35th and listened to Jazz spillin' from the clubs. At 16, I started blowin' harp and makin' pennies on the corner of 35th and State. At 18 I got a job at Southern Steel, two hours from the kitchenette.”

The factory gates open, and Joe Cotton walks out of Southern Steel with a thousand other men.

The opening track introduces Joe at a turning point in his young life. Raised in Bronzeville after arriving in Chicago from Louisiana as a child, Joe has already discovered the blues harp and begun finding his way into the blues.

Now the security of a steady job has disappeared.

But Joe has his harp, the streets of Chicago and the music growing around him.

This is where Smokin’ Joe Cotton begins.

Smokin’ Joe Cotton is a work of historical musical fiction. Its characters and narrative are fictional, set against real periods of migration, segregation and cultural change. The album draws inspiration from African American blues and gospel traditions and encounters spiritual beliefs and traditions beyond Joe’s own musical journey. The Rock and Roll Rewind Project does not attempt to speak for those lived experiences. Through original music and storytelling, the project seeks to acknowledge, celebrate and explore the people, creativity and cultural influences behind the music.

Your download includes:

Smokin’ Joe Cotton in high-quality MP3 format,

Official Track 1 artwork,

Lyrics

and a Track Welcome Read Me.

Thank you for supporting independent music and The Rock and Roll Rewind Project.

Your purchase directly supports the creation of future episodes of The Rock and Roll Rewind Project.

℗ 2026 RaRRity Productions

© 2026 Gavin How. All Rights Reserved.