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Vicksburg Blues Society
Eddie
Cotton
H 2015 IBC Band Winner H
photos by scott allen - vividpix.com
Hello, my name is Eddie Cotton, the 2015 IBC
winner in the band division. I have been playing
the blues professionally all of my adult
life. My band and I have been together since
1996, and we have worked very hard to survive
this long in the business. In 2014 we entered
the Vicksburg Blues Society Blues Challenge
and were chosen to represent the society in
Memphis. I have always stayed away from competitions,
but it felt right this time since we were
already playing in the society’s series at the
Bottleneck Blues Bar in the Ameristar casino.
The first day that we went to register on Beale
Street, I saw hundreds of musicians who were
serious about the music business. I felt at home
because it seemed like a music convention. I felt
an excitement that brought out the fight in me and
set my soul on fire. It was so refreshing to be in
a situation where the musicians were so serious.
It was a different kind of fight this time, because
we were being judged. It wasn’t about the prizes,
but the honor and pride. It tested more than our
playing ability; it also tested our professionalism
and heart. It was war in a fun but serious way. We
enjoyed every round, the brainstorming with musician
friends, meeting so many people we didn’t
know, and playing for fans who came to hear great
music. Every night friends and I would meet in the
Peabody Hotel lobby to discuss strategy; it was
like being in a musical battle. I saw some excellent
musicians, and I had a lot of very important
people—my fans—who knew we were there and
wanted a win, and that gave me inspiration. >>
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