A Talk with Laura Veirs about Elizabeth Cotten

Singer-songwriter Laura Veirs wants kids to know that they can turn things upside down and do things their own way—just like left-handed, GRAMMY Award-winning folk singer Libba Cotten, who played her right-handed guitar upside down. In her children’s book “Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten,” illustrated by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Veirs shares the story of the influential African American singer and guitarist who learned to play at a young age but did not attempt commercial success until her sixties.

Producer: Charlie Weber
Audio: Albert Tong
Interview: Sabrina Lynn Motley
Editor: Xueying Chang

[Catalog No. CFV11187; © Smithsonian Institution, 2019]