The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced earlier this year that legendary Carrboro, North Carolina musician Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Cotten will be honored with the Early Influence Award as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2022 class. The 37th annual ceremony will take place Saturday, Nov. 5 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
The entire ceremony will air on HBO, HBO Max, SiriusXM’s Rock & roll Hall of Fame Radio channel 310 and Volume channel 106 at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.
Other inductees include, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon. Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis will be awarded for Musical Excellence; Harry Belafonte for Early Influence; and Allen Grubman, Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Born on Jan. 5, 1893, Cotten wrote her signature song, “Freight Train,” about the train she could hear from her childhood home on Lloyd Street in Carrboro. Her talents as guitarist and songwriter came to light while she was working in the home of the Seeger family, who encouraged her career as a professional musician. Cotten toured across the country, recording several albums and winning a Grammy Award and a National Heritage Fellowship before her death in 1987.
Learn more about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announcement at:
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