Jeffrey Ralph Cotton (born May 31, 1948) is an American rock guitarist, known for his work as a member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band.
He subsequently joined Blues in a Bottle, which also featured future Magic Band members Mark Boston, Bill Harkleroad and John French.
Cotton contributed unique and challenging slide guitar to live performances, Strictly Personal, Mirror Man and Trout Mask Replica; for which he was renamed Antennae Jimmy Semens.
He left the Magic Band in 1970 after being attacked by temporary drummer Jeff Burchell during a group "talk" and having ribs broken, and having experienced the reclusive 8 months of rehearsals for Trout Mask Replica during which Beefheart experimented on the group members with sleep deprivation, food deprivation, and physical violence in an attempt to break their mental state down.
[2] Despite a critically acclaimed album there was no commercial success, and he retired from the music business in 1975 to study the Christian Ministry.