By Lisa Hornung
Photos by Matt Johnson
Louisville singer-songwriter Tyrone Cotton has been a musical fixture in Louisville for decades. Pick up any local entertainment calendar, and you’re likely to see his name.
But Cotton’s music is as unique and hard to place as his warm and raspy voice. His genre-bending style is showcased on his recent album, co-produced by Ray Rizzo (drummer for Josh Ritter) and Josh Kaufman (of Bonny Light Horseman), “Man Like Me.”
Cotton’s interest in music came from his early childhood. One of his first memories was that of his grandfather singing. “There was something about his voice that immediately got my attention,” he said.”I was a little kid, and I just remember that vividly. I remember him singing, and I was just kind of captivated by it.”
Eventually, Cotton learned to play the guitar in his early teenage years with help from friends and guitar teacher John Grammer and later went on to major in music at Western Kentucky University, where he studied classical guitar.
His style is difficult to define, with influences of soul, folk, jazz, rock, and more, and his musical faves are just as eclectic. He loves the songwriting of Bob Dylan, especially the way his music continuously changes. “I mean, some people will play a song the same way, right down to the precise beat on a metronome or whatever,” he said. “And I think some songs, though, you know, they can be played different ways, and it’s not just one way. That’s one thing I like about Dylan -- he would change all the time. Certain songs just get played differently and evolve over time. (Cotton’s song) ‘Man Like Me,’ it’s one of those songs that can be played in more ways than one.”
On the “Man Like Me” album, Cotton slowed the title song’s tempo down to a haunting pace. “It’s Alright Not to Know” has more of a neo-jazzy sound. “Across the Water” sounds like it comes straight from a classic blues album. “Standing Rag” might be played in a New Orleans parade. “Dreams” is a lovely love song that I wish I’d played at my wedding.
Cotton said he’s also a big fan of the melodic sound of Jerry Garcia -- “I love his slow jams” -- as well as Miles Davis. “I don’t play any kind of music like Miles’, but I just love listening to it.”
“(Garcia) could just play at a really slow tempo sometimes and make it rock,” Cotton said. “People think that may be easier, but playing slow, playing really slow, is a lot harder often than playing really fast, just to keep that groove.”
At 59, Cotton is still plugging on, playing in Louisville and around the country on short tours, mostly in the Northeastern United States this year. “I was up there in April and May. I go back up in July, and I go back up in September,” he said.
While tours are great for exposure and experience, Louisville and its rocking music scene remains his home, where he honed his craft. “I think it’s a great music scene,” Cotton said about the city. “There’s a fair amount of places to play. I think there are a lot of younger bands coming up that are doing good work, and that’s always exciting. And, we have more stuff coming into town, but not just like the Yum Center, but groups that tour clubs and stuff.”
Making albums is great, but the true motivation is to keep playing music and collaborating with great artists. “One thing always interesting is playing with the best people that you can,” he said. “You always learn something. You learn from good players, and you keep growing. I like playing with musicians who are challenging and just kind of make me think maybe in different ways.”
Cotton’s album and tour dates are available on TyroneCotton.com.