Oct. 29, 2009 : A tribute to blues legend James Cotton

>> AS DO OUR NEXT SET OF GUESTS.
BEFORE A TRIBUTE CONCERT AT THE
HOUSE OF BLUES THIS PAST FALL,
MUSICAL GREAT HUEY LEWIS, JAMES
MONTGOMERY AND KIM WILSON ALL
PAID HOMAGE TO BLUES LEGEND
JAMES COTTON RIGHT HERE IN OUR
WGBH STUDIOS.
>> HERE WE GO.
>> I LIKE MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY.
TO SEE PEOPLE HAPPY MAKES ME
HAPPY.
JUST KEEP ON KEEPING ON.
>> ß YOU BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOUR
WOMAN
ß I SURE WISH YOU COULD SEE MINE
>> COTTON IS ONE OF THE FIRST
GENERATIONS OF BLUES HARMONICA
PLAYERS, AND HE MADE THIS STUFF
UP.
HE WAS TOTALLY INFLUENTIAL IN MY
YOUTH.
>> EVERYONE HAS ASSIMILATED
STUFF FROM COTTON, MADE IT PART
OF THEIR OWN -- NOT ONLY PART OF
THEIR OWN PLAYING, BUT THEIR OWN
PERSONALITY.
>> IT'S ABOUT HIM.
IT AIN'T ABOUT US.
>> ß WELL HER DADDY MUST HAVE
BEEN A MILLIONAIRE BECAUSE I CAN
TELL BY THE WAY SHE WALKS
ßß
>> BLUES STARTED AS BLUES SHOTS
YOU IN THE DELTA, AND SO ON, AND
BECAME MORE SOPHISTICATED, MOVED
UP THE RIVER TO CHICAGO WHERE
THE JOBS WERE.
AND THE STYLE CHANGED.
GOT SLICKER AND MORE CITIFIED,
BUT AS THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT
JAMES COTTON IS HE'S REALLY
LIVED ALL OF THIS.
>> I LOVE MUSIC.
ALWAYS HAD BIG EARS, TRIED TO
LISTEN TO ANYTHING I COULD.
ßß
>> SO YOU START PLAYING, AND
WHAT HAPPENS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU PLAY
BLUES, YOU BASICALLY HAVE, LIKE,
A SKELETAL ARRANGEMENT.
THE BEAUTY OF PLAYING BLUES IS
EVERY NIGHT YOU PLAY IT
DIFFERENTLY.
>> YOU REALLY HAVE TO HAVE YOUR
HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE.
AND JUST LET IT ALL HANG OUT.
YOU CAN'T HOLD BACK.
YOU'VE GOT TO -- THE PEOPLE HAVE
TO BE CONVINCED ABOUT WHAT
YOU'RE -- THE STORY YOU'RE
TRYING TO TELL.
>> IT'S GOT TO BE TRUE.
IF IT'S TRUE, IT RINGS.
AND THAT'S THE THING ABOUT
COTTON.
WHEN HE PLAYS, WHEN HE PLAYS,
YOU CAN TELL, THIS IS THE REAL
DEAL.
>> SOME PEOPLE GOT BLUES, AND
THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW IT, YOU
KNOW.
ßß
>> WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE
HARMONICA AND ITS SOUND?
>> IT'S CHEAP AND IT'S PORTABLE.
>> IT'S A POOR MAN'S SAXOPHONE
BASICALLY.
>> NOBODY HAS THE SAME SOUND.
THE SOUND COMES FROM YOUR
CAVITY.
SO EVERYBODY SOUNDS DIFFERENT.
IT'S WONDERFULLY EXPRESSIVE AND
EMOTIONAL.
>> IT'S GOT THAT RICHNESS, THAT
PUNCH.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DRIVE IT.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN CRUISE AND HIT
IT.
>> ß EVERY TIME THAT LITTLE GIRL
START LOVING
ß EVERYONE IN BOSTON BEGIN TO
TALK
ß LET ME HEAR YOU ßß
ßß
>> EVERYBODY WANTS TO DO THIS
FOR COTTON.
EVERYBODY ELSE HAS TREMENDOUS
RESPECT FOR HIM.
HIS HISTORY IS, LIKE,
UNBELIEVABLE.
>> IT'S BEAUTIFUL, SO BEAUTIFUL.
JUST LIKE THE BEST THING I'VE
EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
I'M GLAD.
>> I THINK I CAN SAY KICK ASS ON
TV.
>> YOU CAN.
>> IT'S GOING TO BE A KICK ASS
SHOW, IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE.
ßß
>> SHE HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL RUN
ON "STAR SEARCH," HAD AN
AWARD-WINNING LEAD ROLE ON
BROADWAY AND RELEASED NUMEROUS
CDs.
HER MOST RECENTLY IS A
COLLECTION FROM SOUNDTRACKS, BUT
WHAT FUELS HER IS HER CONCERT
VOICE, WITH A VOICE THAT TENDS
TO LEAVE AUDIENCES BREATHLESS.
>> ß SMILE THOUGH YOUR HEART IS
BREAKING ßß
>> A STUNNER ON BROADWAY AND
CERTAINLY IN CONCERT, LINDA
ETTER IS AT ODDS WITH HERSELF.
>> I'M VERY MUCH AT HOME
CLEANING STALLS.
THAT'S VERY MUCH ME.
THAT'S BEEN MY TRADEOFF IN LIFE.
>> HARD TO BELIEVE, SINCE ON
STAGE ETTER IS A POWERHOUSE,
WITH A VOICE THAT'S LONG
ENDEARED HER TO CRITICS AND A
RAVENOUS FAN BASE.
>> I STOOD BACKSTAGE MANY TIMES
IN THE EARLY YEARS, ABOUT TO GO
OUT THERE, SO SICK TO MY
STOMACH, SO AFRAID, GOING WHY AM
I PUTTING MYSELF THROUGH THIS?
YOU CAN'T HELP IT IF IT'S WHAT
YOU LOVE, BECAUSE IT FEEDS ME.
I GO TOO LONG WITHOUT SINGING,
I'M MISSING SOMETHING.
>> SHE FOUND NATIONAL FAME IN
1988 WITH A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL
12-WEEK RUN ON "STAR SEARCH,"
LEADING HER A LEAD ROLE IN
"JEKYL AND HYDE" ON BROADWAY AND
RECOGNITION THAT HERS WAS A
VOICE THAT COULD ARREST, THAT
COULD INDEED STOP SHOWS.
>> ßß
>> THE CRITICS OVER THE YEARS
HAVE BEEN GENERALLY GOOD TO ME B
THE ONE CONSISTENT THING THAT
HAS BEEN SAID WAS THAT I WAS A
STREISAND WANNABE.
THE THING IS I ALWAYS AGREED
WITH THEM, YOU KNOW.
I NEVER THOUGHT THEY WERE WRONG.
I GOT GOOD AT THAT.
I BASED A WHOLE CAREER ON IT.
>> SHE'S REFRESHINGLY HONEST,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME SHE KNOWS
HER STRENGTHS.
>> ßß
>> THERE'S A REASON SHE'S DRAWN
TO SINGERS LIKE STREISAND AND
ANOTHER FAVORITE, JUDY GARLAND.
SHE, LIKE THEM, IS AMONG THE
BEST OF THE BELTERS.
>> ßß
>> THAT STYLE OF MUSIC LENDS
ITSELF TO GOOSE BUMPS, BECAUSE
IT'S ABOUT PUSHES AND PULLS,
CRESCENDOS, DECRESCENDOS, THINGS
THAT GIVE PEOPLE GOOSE BUMPS,
GET THEM EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED.
>> ßß
>> WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU ARE
BELTING OUT THOSE SONGS?
>> WHERE DO I GO, IN MY MIND?
>> YES.
>> WELL, SEE, I DON'T -- YOU
HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT I DON'T
HEAR MYSELF THE WAY YOU HEAR ME.
I HEAR WHEN I'M TRYING TO
ATTAIN, AND I'M NEVER GOING TO
GET THERE.
SO THAT'S THE BEST PERFORMING I
CAN HAVE IS WHEN I CAN LET THAT
GO.
>> MODESTY IS ANOTHER ETTER
HALLMARK.
>> HOW MANY HERE HAVE HEARD OF
ME?
>> FLYING LOW ON THE CELEBRITY
RADAR, ETTER SAYS SHE'S KEPT HER
INDEPENDENCE, ESPECIALLY AFTER
SINGING THE SAME OLD SAME OLD
SHE SAYS?
>> IT GOT HARDER AND HARDER TO
WANT TO GET OUT THE DOOR AND GO
AGAIN.
>> SHE WENT COUNTRY FOR HER LAST
CD, AND FOR THE JUST-RELEASED
SOUNDTRACK SHE COVERS SOUNDS
FROM FILMS.
>> ßß
>> THE MOVIE THEMES JUMPED OUT
AT ME, BECAUSE I HAD SO MANY
FAVORITE SONGS FROM THE MOVIES
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.
I CHOSE SONGS BASED ON THE FACT
THAT I LOVED IT, AND ALSO
BECAUSE I COULD SORT OF HEAR AN
ARRANGEMENT.
>> ßß
>> I'M OLD ENOUGH I CAN SAY,
THIS IS ME A.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, FINE, BUT
HOPEFULLY YOU WILL.
I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M MIMICKING
OR WEARING THE OUTFIT OF ANOTHER
ICON OR PAST PERFORMER ANYMORE.