Annetta "Cotton Candy" Washington is Kansas City's reigning queen of the blues.  She is an accomplished singer, songwriter, pianist, author, and poet.  Cotton was a New Year's Day baby in 1931.  She is now well into her fourth decade of performing blues in Kansas City, and is truly one of the areas living treasures.  Cotton has won numerous awards, including being one of the few women inducted into the Elder Statesmen of Jazz.  She is a founding member of the Kansas City Blues Society, and continues to donate her time and energy to a variety of charities.  The following autobiographical sketch provides an interesting glimpse into the life of a genuine blues legend.

About Me

Annetta "Cotton Candy"

I am a native of Kansas City MO.  I began singing and playing the piano when I was 3 years old.  At 8 years old I started making up songs, writing poetry, stories, and plays.  I have written some of the religious plays in some churches that I have put on.  I have a play now, that hopefully I'll be able to put on sometime in the near future.  In elementary school I was always in plays and singing.  I was born here in Kansas City, and grew up on the North End where I now reside.  I've lived in other parts of the city, but 12 years ago I moved back to where my roots began.  In elementary school and high school I excelled in music and art.  I was an A plus student in both music and art.

I chose to farther myself in my music and writing, and kind of let the art go.  I sometimes draw and design outfits that I would make for myself, if I knew how to sew.  I am from a musical family.  My mother had played in clubs and for church as well.  She played for one Baptist church in the neighborhood.  My grandmother, my mom's mother played for the other Baptist church in the neighborhood, and I went back and forth between the two churches singing.  I was playing for small churches when I was 8 years old.  And when I got older, I formed a community choir of adults and children from different churches.  We were known as the Heralds of Joy.

Later I formed a youth choir.  They had the opportunity to open up gospel concerts for many well known gospel artists, such as James Cleveland, the Blind Boys, and The Mighty Clouds of Joy.  I also had a gospel singing group.  We along with a male gospel group traveled all down through the South doing concerts.  I have did gospel in Los Angeles CA, at UCLA.  I have always loved gospel along with blues.  I really began singing blues at the age of 14.  My mother played all kinds of music, for the exception of one.  She didn't play country music.  I had to learn that, which I did, on my own.  But I was around all types of music.

I have did some jazz.  I do it now, as often as I can.  I learned a lot of country western music, some of it I still recall.  I use to listen to a country western show on the radio that came on every day called "The Dinner Bell Round Up."  August of 1992 I was inducted into the Elder Statesmen of Jazz.  I had a very good Christian upbringing.  I went astray for awhile.  But I came back to my religious roots, and have stayed.  One uncle and myself, though others in the family played piano, he and I played organ as well.  Three generations of my family played for one church.  I have played for many churches and funeral homes in the Kansas City area.

I have also performed in many clubs in and out of the Kansas City area.  In 1998, my band and I won third place in the International Best Blues Band Contest in Memphis TN, of which I have the trophy.

We won the best blues band contest in Kansas City twice.  I've had my own personal band for 11 years, plus changes in musicians as I went along.  I am deeply in touch with the spiritual part of my life, and my music comes next.  I pray daily, and I read my Bible daily.  Whenever the band and I perform out of the city, wherever I go, my Bible goes too.  I am a true lover of the Lord, and I am a people lover also.  I love people.  I believe in showing people love.  I even love my enemies.  I pray for them also.  I enjoy counseling with people, of which I do quite a bit of.  I am the type of person, that whatever a person tells me in confidence stays with me.  I do not believe in telling another person's business.

I enjoy spiritual meditating and natural creating.  And when I pray, very little do I ask for myself personally.  My time in prayer is spent praying for others.  And a lot of times, I am asked to pray for someone, or more than one person.  I am just letting some things that people don't know about me, be known.  I love seeing my prayers being answered.  True I perform in night clubs.  That still does not stop me from being a Christian, and carrying myself as such.  Every chance I get even in the clubs, I sing gospel, and witness to people.  I have never, since I've been an amputee, felt sorry for myself.  What I can do, I do.  What I can't, I don't worry about it.  In fact, I don't worry about anything.

When it's something that I need done, that I can't do, the Lord always sends somebody to do it for me.  So why should I worry?  One year, I had the opportunity to play at the convention of the Amputee Coalition of America, in Reno NV.  I have been presented with proclamations from Kansas City, Harrisonville MO, and the State of Kansas.  I was presented a Resolution from Kansas City, and an award from the Catholic church for doing a gospel concert, and other awards from different places.  I am a charter member of the Kansas City Blues Society, and a gold card lifetime member of the Mutual Musicians Foundation of Kansas City.  I have had a day named for me in Kansas City, and in Harrisonville MO as well.  I have played in festivals in and out of the city.

When I can, I like going to the nursing homes, playing and singing for the residents, and reading my own original poetry.  I celebrated my 35th year anniversary (Ed: of blues and jazz performance) Oct 11th 2003.  I had always wanted to do a big Broadway show type musical.  In Oct of 2004 my dream came true.  I was in a big musical production at the Johnson County Community College.  Dancer Billie Mahoney was the producer.  Every act, was did to perfection.  It was a huge musical production, even to the big band.  There was two shows, one on Saturday, and a matinee Sunday afternoon.  I was asked to sing one of my own originals and a cover tune, of which I did.  I have had the opportunity to do some acting.  It was in a gospel musical stage play.

We do some gospel, along with our music.  We have opened for other well known music artists.  There are some Christian men in the band.  And I am so thankful for that.  We are not just a band, we are like a family.  We enjoy doing things together, as a family.  We have a deep love for each other.  But of course, I do a lot of praying far as the band is concerned.  To me they are all my children, though they have living mothers.  I am second mother in command, to help them stay on the right road.  They are wonderful to me, and I love them all dearly.  Oh! and another thing, I see a lot of happenings before they happen.

My Annetta "Cotton Candy" Washington's Motto:

"I am Too Blessed to be Depressed."