King Cotton is a band with deep roots in all types of music. They were on the bill for our 2007 Birthday Bash and left many of the patrons (hell, even us) wide-eyed and awestruck with their performance.Our good friend Fester Hagood fronts the band along with bassist William Jarred Forrester, drummer Scott Tracy and new guitarist Johnny Walker (yes, we’re told that’s his real name). Fester has been in our studio numerous times and always treats us to some of his terrific (and often hysterical) songs. And, the man brings beer. What more can we ask?With roots firmly planted in country, blues and southern rock, King Cotton has been growing a faithful following throughout North Georgia, which we think will stretch farther soon. Fester’s lyrics go from dark to humorous and everywhere in between, sung with a raspy, southern drawl. If you’re looking for music created from the heart and soul of a genuine southern band that still plays for the love of the show and a bar tab, King Cotton is for you. They’re definitely for us.Eric Jefferson, Hounddogradio.netFabric of Kings
By David Eduardo | Correspondent | Story updated at 11:19 PM on Thursday, April 12, 2007
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 041207Fester Hagood is right at home here. One might say the song-chasing Southern troubadour has harvested a potential cash crop, or, at the very least is finding comfort sitting in high cotton fronting the rural rock quartet King Cotton.The songwriting is well matched and seemingly born to deliver workingman’s blues, from a countrified perspective.On a farm in Oglethorpe County, a recent Saturday afternoon is spent in the wood-paneled space off the kitchen, in a home most of a century old and currently occupied by the band’s drummer Scott Tracy (the four-piece is rounded out by bassist Jared Forrester), and there isn’t a better place to enjoy the feel of Cotton.The band’s aim certainly is less poppy and feel-good than Hagood’s recent efforts, namely collaborations with country crooner Caroline Monroe and as the driving force behind the fun-loving Ray-Ray and The Hog Mountain Boys."I was trying for the Nashville rap - this is more me," says Hagood when comparing King Cotton to other projects, though he admits with a grin, "Every third song I write is slow ’cause I’m still trying to write for those a--holes in Nashville."Truth is, there’s a social awareness and deep rural connection in these songs. Request "Carpetbaggers" at Friday’s show to hear it for yourself.At the farmhouse curious canines peek in from the screened-in porch to observe the debauchery. The nearest cows start moseying to a more distant pasture and there’s an empty feeder in the field worth nothing more than two tons of rust. There is risk in smoking cigarettes too close to the propane tank and there are chicken houses in the distance, thankfully seen and not smelled. There is a cold can of beer in the fridge and a foosball table in the kitchen, and you get the feeling this is all getting boiled down and distilled and dyed into King Cotton.In 2006 Fester Hagood got tired of playing “Brown Eyed Girlâ€. After playing in numerous cover bands over the years, enough was enough. He rounded up old band mates and formed the band King Cotton. He called bassist William Jarred Forrester and drum machine Scott Tracy. Like its namesake, the band focused on a moment in time that had been long forgotten, a time when Southern music reigned supreme. With roots firmly planted in Country, Blues, and Southern Rock, King Cotton began growing a faithful following throughout North Georgia. Fester Hagood’s lyrics go from dark to humorous and everywhere in between, sung with a raspy Southern drawl. Occasionally, a Waylon Jennings or Hendrix cover may slip in to the mix and played strictly out of respect. For the most part, however, King Cotton has plenty to say on their own.If you wanna hear songs you’ve heard a million times, turn on your radio or check out the tribute band up the street. If you are looking for a chance to see music created before your eyes from the heart and soul of a true Southern band that still plays for the love of the show and a bar tab, King Cotton is your band.
View King Cotton’s EPKThis isn’t King Cotton, but it might be the funniest thing ever.....
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