Jeff Cotton

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Jeff Cotton

|background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| birth_name = Jeffrey Ralph Cotton

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|5|31}}

| birth_place = Porterville, Tulare County, California, United States

| genre = Fusion, experimental

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Electric guitar

| years_active = 1964–1975

}}

Jeffrey Ralph Cotton (born May 31, 1948) is an American rock guitarist, known for his work as a member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p55418/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Captain Beefheart|last=Ankeny|first=Jason|publisher=AMG|accessdate=17 May 2010}}

Career

Cotton first came to attention as guitarist with Merrell and the Exiles, who had a few local hits in 1964 in the Los Angeles area. He subsequently joined Blues in a Bottle, which also featured future Magic Band members Mark Boston, Bill Harkleroad and John French. He was recruited into the Magic Band in 1967 as a replacement for Ry Cooder.

Cotton contributed unique and challenging slide guitar to live performances, Strictly Personal, Mirror Man and Trout Mask Replica; for which he was renamed Antennae Jimmy Semens. He left the Magic Band in 1970 after being attacked by temporary drummer Jeff Burchell during a group "talk" and having ribs broken, and having experienced the reclusive 8 months of rehearsals for Trout Mask Replica during which Beefheart experimented on the group members with sleep deprivation, food deprivation, and physical violence in an attempt to break their mental state down.

He renewed his professional relationship with Merrell Fankhauser (of The Exiles) in a band called MU.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p19471/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Mu|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|publisher=AMG|accessdate=17 May 2010}} Despite a critically acclaimed album there was no commercial success, and he retired from the music business in 1975 to study the Christian Ministry. In 1981, long after the group had disbanded, a second LP of unreleased MU{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p19471/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Mu|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|publisher=AMG|accessdate=17 May 2010}} material was issued.

In 2022 a 50 year recording hiatus ended with his first solo album, The Fantasy of Reality.{{cite web|url=https://vwmusicrocks.com/an-interview-with-jeff-cotton-of-captain-beefhearts-magic-band/|accessdate=19 November 2022|title=An Interview with Jeff Cotton of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band|date=21 September 2022 }}

Personal life

He had three children.{{cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/jeff-cotton-captain-beefheart-the-fantasy-of-reality|accessdate=19 November 2022|title=Captain Beefheart guitarist Jeff Cotton talks jamming with Frank Zappa and "the eight months of emotional trauma" that went into making Trout Mask Replica|date=16 September 2022 }}