CC Radio- Ladies Night
We had a fabulous episode of CC Radio this week- performing the great works of female songwriters in the 20th (and 21st) centuries.
I was joined by great pianist and composer, Cody Owen Stine- along with songwriters Liana Stampur, Miss Elisabeth and Miko Deleon.
I tried to pick some unexpected tunes written by women- and I was really thrilled by the setlist.
One of my favorite aspects of doing this radio show is learning tons of new songs. Matt Stine suggested I play “Freight Train” by Elizabeth Cotten. I had never heard this simple masterpiece- and what a thrill it was to discover.
Cotten was born in 1895 and began writing songs at a very early age. She was also a guitar innovator- a left-handed player that learned to play a right-handed guitar turned upside down without re-arranging the strings. This meant she played the melodies with her thumb and the bass-lines with her 2nd and 3rd fingers- absolutely backwards! This funky style birthed the term “Cotten-Pickin’.”
Here’s Elizabeth playing her most famous song:
The guitar playing is just incredible!
Here’s our latest episode of CC Radio featuring “Freight Train” and songs by Bonnie Raitt, Amy Winehouse, Carole King, Alanis Morrisette, Billie Holiday, Sister Rosetta Tharp and others!
