Chris Cotton has been a wayward sort of person for most of his life; he has hopped on freight trains, hitched rides, and slept on rooftops. Though such an existence hardly allows for any consistencies, Chris’s life has had one ever present aspect, music. Music, of which has been colorfully influenced by his adventures.

Like most talented musicians, Chris began playing music a very young age. He went through a series of different musical phases before really being inspired by the Blues. He moved to New Orleans for a while, honing his craft, before forming his first band, The Blue Eyed Devils. The band had two albums and more than six hundred shows under their belt before Chris decided to go solo in 2004.

Chris’s current sound is reminiscent of American roots music, but doesn’t really fit into any of the typical genres most people use to classify music. Some people feel it is folk, while others find it to be southern country blues. The is one thing these differing opinions can agree to: the music that identifies with the early 20’s, 30’s and 40’s is still very relevant today. His songs tend to bear a simple form coupled with complex style. Chris creates sincere songs with a guitar full of soul. Think tittering pianos and bluesy guitar in a saloon several decades forgotten.

His newest album, The Big Sea, will be released on September 2nd. It has already received a small ocean’s worth of good reviews. The Chattanoogan felt that “This album is of the rare breed that displays skill and has instant nostalgia value.” While Exclaim.ca called it the “best record of the year, seven months early.”

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