One of the senior living legends of Chicago blues is James Cotton. Born in Mississippi in 1935, Cotton inherited Sony Boy Williamson’s band when Williamson moved north. But, the blues harpist earned his chops playing for two seminal greats of the early days. He spent the ‘50s and ‘60s playing in the bands of both Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters.

By the late ‘60s, he had his own band. In 1996, he won the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album.

A bout with throat cancer in the mid-1990s ended his recorded singing career. Cotton is still on the road. These photos are from a 2005 performance in Raleigh’s Moore Square during Artsplosure.

If you can identify the unnamed guitarist here, please help me out. Gallery is here.