Born in Asti, Cotto began his musical career as a member of the Henghel Gualdi [it] Orchestra.
[1] After serving as a guitarist for the band Majority One, under the stage name "Peter Cook", in the early 1970s, Cotto formed the band Piero e i Cottonfields, with which he achieved a major hit with the single "Due delfini bianchi",[2] which sold over 500,000 copies.
[1] In 1972, the group recorded their first and only album, Il Viaggio, La Donna, Un'altra Vita.
In 1975, shortly after the disbandment of the band, he entered the main competition at the 25th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, reaching the finals with the song "Il telegramma".
[1] In the 1980s he toured with Astor Piazzolla and collaborated with Francesco Salvi, appearing in his Italia 1 show MegaSalviShow and composing "Le solite promesse", the B-side of his number 1 single "C'è da spostare una macchina".