Her guitar is just and extension of herself. No one else in the world can play like she does. She is one of a kind. Simply music from her heart.

I actually saw Elizabeth Cotten play, around 1980. A free concert also featuring Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and Taj Mahal. The review in the following day's newspaper said of Elizabeth, "her voice may have seen better days, but her guitar playing needed no apologies".

She was a wonderful woman. Lived a hard life and never attained the level of success that she deserved.

The Seegers knew they had a treasure of a person in Elizabeth -- and the music was the "cherry on the top". Mike Seeger and family did some research on "Freight Train" and were responsible for getting Elizabeth the writing credit. Once her music was established the Seegers treated her like a national treasure -- which, of course, she was. Ralph Rinzler of the Smithsonian Folklife Center snapped her up and I remember seeing her at the early Smithsonian Festivals of American Folklife. She was, indeed, an American treasure and such a wonderful musician and personality on the stage. I was so lucky to have seen her!

Thank you so much for giving this amazing women her due!! LOVED the story and the look at her sweet music! She truly is music history.

She was incredible..figured out guitar her own way and her lines are so intricate. Massive respect.

I think it’s great that you do analysis of all genres of music. Thanks, Fil!

As a personal tribute to Ms. Cotten, I'm going to learn her "Freight Train" lefthanded on a righthanded guitar turned upside down.

Great stuff. She lived to the age of 94. RIP Elizabeth Cotton. You will forever be remembered for your blessed playing. We should never forget these innovators of great music. Keep looking for these Fil, Keep their memories alive and moving forward. Thanks buddy.

Love love love love love Elizabeth Cotton! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thanks Fil!…I didn’t know about Elizabeth Cotton and how influential she was to all music…I’m amazed that she had a 40 year gap in her playing! It just goes to show when you learn something so young you really don’t ever forget it…That with ambition and practice it comes back…✌️❤️🤘

Thank you for having the class and musical understanding, and absolute respect for how important she was to so many.

She was amazing. It’s actually amazing that she played that way, because in the old days children were discouraged from being left handed, in fact sometimes forbidden. It’s a fascinating subject to Google. Loved this video!

I found her amazing the first time i heard her and still do.

Also amazed at how youthful her hands look for her age, blessed lady……☮️❤️🤘

Jesus Fil, you're becoming a historian now. Great stuff.

Thank you so much for putting up this wonderful guitarist and explaining her style of playing and her history. Her signature song, as anyone who has listened to her, is Freight Train.

Damn..........that was soooo simply gorgeous......idk......I got so many different emotions outta that.....it was like a kaleidoscope.......it was like a microcosm of a life.......it was happy it was sad....melancholy and then almost comedic.....it seemed so simple but every note was like so poignant...melodically beautiful.....maybe I'm goin nuts.....but that just sent me over the rainbow

Awesome video. Well presented. Your appreciation was palpable....and your explanation superb.

Thank you for this Fil! Another great song by Elizabeth and one of my favorites is "Shake Sugaree" The Grateful Dead did a cover of it too but I really like the version with Elizabeth on guitar and her 12 year old grandaughter singing.

OMG! I truly love how you can hear each and every sound coming from the strings separately yet it sounds so perfectly melodic. This woman is FABULOUS!

Thanks you for this. I was lucky to have seen Elizabeth play in a converted firehouse in Rochester, NY in the mid 1970s. I still have a vividly memory of her sitting on a small wooden chair a few feet from me and playing ragtime tunes on her guitar.

This is a lovely video, Fil. Thank you. We had a left-handed upside-down guitarist in Australia, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. He died a couple of years ago. He came from Elcho Island, over 500km from Darwin. It's a long way from a guitar shop, so he played the only guitars he could get his hands on. Most people just notice his lovely voice. I find his left-handed, upside-down guitar playing interesting.

Fil, true story from me. I took my wife out to a spot on a lake in Texas many years ago for dinner. We were sitting out on the outside deck where the band (actually just a duet for this one) was playing, and I noticed that the guitar player was also playing one that was "backwards and upside down". I'll always be a cowboy chord player, but I can recognize a person playing right handed on a regular guitar. I bought the fellows a beer for their break and asked the gentleman how he had come by that style. His explanation was that he learned to play by watching a (much older by his story) brother. He said he learned by mirroring his brother. In any event, I was very much impressed impressed, as he was very talented and far beyond my own cowboy chords using a standard tuning on the usual instruments. Turned upside down and still tuned the same way as my own. Thanks, and thumbs up. Also, as the owner of a couple of Martin guitars, I am particularly appreciative of the instrument used in this video.

She is a treasure not only in america but the whole world.

She made that guitar sing, even without her own outstanding voice. What a treasure she was. Thank you so much, Fil.

My dad used to sing "Freight Train" to me as a lullabye. He loved because when he was a young adult in the depression, his principal mode of transportation was "riding the rails" - e.g. jumping on boxcars and being a "hobo". My mom's dad had been a fireman on the steam engines, and active union member from the '20s to the end of his life. And I used to put pennies on the rails when I was a kid in the 50s. Then my brother became a slammin' lead guitarist (right-handed though). Elizabeth Cotten's musical influence has run through my life. I'm glad she has been recognized for her brilliant innovative contributions.

She was a virtuoso musician as well as a beautiful songwriter and singer! To see how she did it with just two fingers to create melody, bassline and chords is astounding! Have you profiled Mother Maybelle Carter, another brilliant musician with a unique style? These two ladies, alongside Sister Rosetta, are three of my favourite folk/blues musicians

Remarkable video. Elizabeth Cotten is so influential to so many musicians.

(Rediscovery by the Seegers as chronicled in Wikipedia. Such a drop-dead amazing story!) "Cotten retired from playing the guitar for 25 years, except for occasional church performances. She did not begin performing publicly and recording until she was in her 60s. She was discovered by the folk-singing Seeger family while she was working for them as a housekeeper. While working briefly in a department store, Cotten helped a child wandering through the aisles find her mother. The child was Peggy Seeger, and the mother was the composer Ruth Crawford Seeger. Soon after this, Cotten again began working as a maid, this time for Ruth Crawford Seeger and Charles Seeger, and caring for their children, Mike, Peggy, Barbara, and Penny. The Seeger family kids, who were too young to pronounce "Elizabeth", began calling her "Libba", and she embraced that nickname later in life.[16] While working with the Seegers (a voraciously musical family that included Pete Seeger, a son of Charles from a previous marriage), she remembered her own guitar playing from 40 years prior and picked up the instrument again and relearned to play it, almost from scratch." (Then Mike Seeger just happened to be an open young man who was so interested in this kind of music that he produced home reel to reel tapes that went on to become famous as "folk music" began to go more mainstream. One of those stories that just blows your head open! Goes to show that we should all be open to the inner lives of all the people who are around us. We can nurture them, and they can nurture us!)

The video of her playing and singing Freight Train in her early 90's is just amazing. So much respect to her. The Carolina Chocolate Drops do some really great old blues. They are well worth checking out.

Great story and musician. Thanks for sharing with us!

Amazing! Thanks for looking at Elizabeth Cotten's work, such an amazing artist

There's a two-part black and white KZfaq video (posted by FolkSeattle) of Elizabeth Cotton playing about four songs per video episode; "Washington Blues" is the one that really knocks me out. (It's an instrumental, and the title is something we can all relate to these days). Whoever the cameramen was for those particular videos, likely dead and long gone by now, I salute him or her, because the close-ups of Elizabeth's left and right hands both are absolutely freaking awesome. Modern cameramen in the age of color TV never seem to do half as good a job filming musicians, especially guitarists, as was done in this particular old video. We should dig the cameraman up and clone him! PS, the same KZfaqr, FolkSeattle, has black and white footage of Brownie McGhee, solo AND with Brownie, that is worth watching. Also Mance Lipscomb, Bukka White, Jesse Fuller, Fred McDowell, and others. Fantastic Footage!

Fil older artists like Elizabeth Cotten as You know are a big part of music history. I always love the stories they tell when they where young. here in the USA we call Skiffle bands, Jug bands. a few guys and or gals harmonizing with homemade instruments. I have respect for Elizabeth and others musicians from her era and what they went through. Keep Rockin' through the history of music Fil.

Fil, This was a great video with a superb analysis!❤️

Fil always said this channel is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get but you do know it's gonna be sweet.

As a kid in the 70's, I remember a news show geared toward children and it featured a piece on Elizabeth singing Freight Train. It wasn't until recent years that I heard Peter, Paul & Mary sing it that I heard it again. Thanks for sharing her back story

Going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. She was such a treasure.

It was Jerry Garcia who mentioned her in a live set from December 6th 1987 which was commercially released as Jerry Garcia Almost Acoustic. Prior to playing her song "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie" Jerry dedicates his performance to her memory. She had passed earlier that year. Jerry credited her for technique he developed with his right hand. i knew by Jerry dedicating a performance to an Elizabeth Cotton I had to investigate further. I'm sure glad I did Thanks Jerry, and thank you Fil !

I remember seeing her many years ago on television, and thought just as I do now, that guitar is just an extension of her personality and life.

That was so soothing. And what an incredible story! First I’ve ever heard of her but I don’t think it will be the last! Thanks for the introduction. Any chance of you checking out “Lightnin” Sam Hopkins? Probably my favorite blues man and a FANTASTIC story teller!

So fascinating. Thank you for covering this.

God bless you Phil ! Thanks for all the good energy you put into your vids !!!

Another really nice choice. Again I'm reminded of Mississippi John Hurt...

Surely this lady must be unique. What an artist!! Fabulous. Going to treasure these downloads!! Thank you Libba.

Fil always brings fantastic people to light.

Talent is one thing, but to take the talent and do it the toughest way to do it... She was an amazing woman. Thank You for this video.

True magic in her fingertips. Beautiful!!!

Made this grown man cry . Absolutely amazing !!!!

I love Elizabeth a gift to us all

What a great reaction video! I didn't know any of this. I grew up watching and listening to my dad playing 'Freight Train' on his 1960 Gibson electric with no idea about Elizabeth or her writing the song or playing it upside down. Thanks for the education. Now I'm going to have to quiz my dad about whether he knew this. I sure didn't. Thanks!

Really loved this Fil...what a fascinating story behind this unique lady!!

Another great analysis video Fil! I will definitely be checking out her music..I think it's awesome that u take the time to research every artist be4 u analyse their video so u can give ur viewers background info on each artist as well as discussing their guitar style/techniques..I really admire and respect u 4 that..I like the fact that u analyse different genres of music and u can appreciate an artist's talent whether u listen 2 their genre of music or not..even though u are a very talented musician/singer, u are so humble and u don't let ur ego get in the way of ur analysis of other artists..Ur awesome and u rock!!

Incredible! Her down strokes are up strokes, melody played with the thumb, amazing technique🤯

AV on Gurrumul, passed away but played upside down finger style guitar using no thumb and he was blind. Voice of an angel too.

Great show! thanks!

🤘Yea! Fil you get a thumbs up for sure. I’ve been waiting for this one. Thanks Fil. Great analysis as always. I have another female picker I think would be a great candidate for an analogy “Molly Tuttle”. She’s a super talented, gifted picker/guitar player.🤘

Hello Fil, Nice little programme featuring this great performer Elizabeth Cotten, and just like her, I picked up a guitar nearly seventy years ago, and learned to play it without knowing that I was holding a right handed instrument. Since then I have continued to play in the same way, but chose to play the music of Django Reinhardt and have since those days played with some of the best players in the world, without thinking about it being a weird way to play. There was another great gypsy player called Patrick Saussois who played the same way, but who recently died, bless his soul, and we like thick strings too, 20thou top E and 60thou bottom E which gives a loud noise, and big fat tone great for playing outside unamplified. Keep up the great work.

Wow!! I learned something new!! What an incredible history and inspiration!! Thx so much!!

Fil, thanks for posting this video of Elizabeth! I have always found her playing style to be fascinating. She was a true national treasure.

Everyone who plays acoustic guitar knows Libba. A true Folk Legend.

Another great video that was very cool....rock on brother

WOW! I'm so glad to see that you reach out to what would have been an UNSUNG HERO to those of your generation and later! Thanks and may God bless you!

Amazing Ful. This lady plays guitar with the tune you would have in your head while walking down the road or along a railroad track or just doing something with your hands to keep busy. It's so upbeat. Despite whatever hardships she faced in her life, her music was the soundtrack of her life and that no doubt makes that inspirational to everyone else. Including me. Thanks Fil for posting this and once again another great analysis. Bless you brother. 😀

Thanks so much for highlighting Miss Elizabeth. She's a bundle of wonder. I discovered a video of her playing Freight Train. Love her.

Thank you so much, Fil. Another great analysis of someone new to me. Now I have to look up Freight Train.

HEY FIL!!!! Uni here... so good to be back home . Now I get to catch up on all of your videos... really fun video and a really fun song. It looks like her hands are dancing and I couldn’t imagine using my thumb like . What a fun way to play.

I am not a musician, but I love your videos. You are always so positive and smiley. :) Thank you.

Great video! Wonderful woman and musician! Thank you for posting this. Fantastic!

Thank you so much Elizabeth!

another cool one thanks dude keep on keepin on

Just discovered your channel. An instant-favourite. Superb style and grace, you have. ^^

What a nice tone. To learn like she did, shows a genius for music.

Dear Fil ! What i particular like of this video of E. Cotton is that you normally stops the vids quite fast into the music. Here you sit with a big smile stunned by her way of playing upside down , right to left. Total doublemirrored playing and only 2 fingers. Quite amazing. Try do it now youve played different for 30 years or more. LOL....!

Totally awesome! I have so much respect for people that grew up during that era and before. We have no clue to how good we have it in this day and age.👍😎🤘

wow, absolutely incredible. She is a left handed guitarist and didn't even change the strings. And she developed a completely awesome new technique. cooooooool!

Two BIG thumbs up! Thanks for another great music history lesson.

I really enjoyed your historical info. I'm in!👍🎶

👍 what a coincidence. Yesterday i showed my wife how she plays her most famous song, Freight Train. This looks so wrong watching the right hand. I found her while i was learing Tommy Emanuels tutorial to Freight Train. She was such a carismatic person. TY Fil, great find, great story.

Fil, I really like what you do on this channel. I am not a musician, but I used to do a bit of sound work, and I can tell a lot about what's going in a performance, but I'm no match for your ears and knowledge, so I appreciate your breakdowns a lot. You are doing a service by helping people understand and appreciate the technical and artistic aspects of what they are listening to. I have been fortunate enough to have known some great musicians in my life, and I know the years they have put into attaining the level of musical expression I'm hearing. Keep doing what you're doing. By the way, I'd still love see your take on Band-maid Onset, but I also like seeing you go back in time like you did with this one and others recently.

Thank you for recognizing Cotten!

Thank you, that was very interesting for me.

Excellent ! What an classic ~!

Enjoyed that very much.

Love this!! You should do Etta Baker next. Another NC-born blues guitarist who started performing later in life.

Wow a vintage Martin guitar..... 1930's... Martin guitars Nazareth pennsylvania USA.... Close to where i live... Brotherrrrrr

Thank you for this! Elizabeth hailed from my home state of North Carolina. She’s something of a legend in this part of the country - and elsewhere, of course, as your video proves! 😊

It always amazed me that that in her eighties she still sounded like a little girl. A great tune she penned was "Sugaree." A lot of people covered that tune too.

You showcased Elizabeth. Splendid!

Thanks Fil 👏👏👏great video 🥂

🤘🤘🤘great video🤘🤘🤘 amazing style 👍🎼🎸

Mesmerizing!

This was amazing, this song was beautiful!

Thanks good info, she was amazing.

The amazing Elizabeth Cotton, was watching a bunch of her videos the other day, great analysis of a guitar legend.

Fill, I really love this because it hits close to home. I'm left handed and learned to first play a standard strung guitar just this way. I still have an acoustic that remains with the low E on the bottom! Lol

Beautiful playing. ❤😊

...thank you for sharing...

Amazing. Her personality comes out in the performance. I’ll definitely do more research!