Highway 55 Blues

HIGHWAY 55 BLUES

Track 2 from Smokin’ Joe Cotton, The Blues'll Never Be The Same.

“We lost mama in 55. And my brothers and sisters all scattered to the four winds. I learned from the Maxwell Street blues men like Little Willy Foster and Sonny Boy Boyd, in the clubs on the south side. I had lived the blues, now I just had to get away too. Yeah, get away to my home.”

At twenty-six, following the death of his mother, Joe leaves Chicago and turns south on Highway 55 toward Louisiana.

The road takes him back toward the place he left as a five-year-old boy, searching for roots and a childhood he barely remembers.

As the miles pass, the journey begins to stir fragments of the past: family, church, faith, the blues, and memories that have never completely left him.

Highway 55 Blues marks the beginning of Joe’s journey home — and a journey back through his own life.

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:

Highway 55 Blues in high-quality MP3 format,

Official Track 2 artwork,

Lyrics,

and a Track Welcome Read Me.

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

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℗ 2026 RaRRity Productions

© 2026 Gavin How. All Rights Reserved.