Career
He is best known for his four Billboard Top 40 entries during the years 1976–1978. In the United Kingdom he is most famous for his song "Maine and the Elephant" which failed to make the top 40 best sellers, but was an airplay hit. Cotton has been a resident of Leiper"s Fork, Tennessee since the late 1970s.
In recent years, Cotton has scaled back his career as a singer and songwriter and spent much of his savings on a legal battle against the construction of a state highway (State Route 840) which would surround Nashville.
Cotton, the father of two adopted children and one biological child, has devoted himself to helping the underprivileged of his area by motivating them in their studies and activities through a program called Kids On Stage (KOS). KOS brings in Nashville artists to run summer classes that open the doors to the arts to kids who might otherwise never see greatness or think about greatness in their arts
Cotton was instrumental in 1970s popular singer Michael Johnson"s career. In 2001, Cotton lost a race for a seat in District 63 of the Tennessee House of Representatives, to Republican Glen Casada.
Both Casada and Cotton campaigned on strong opposition to proposals for a state income tax
