Elizabeth’s Song
by Michael Wenberg

Elizabeth’s Song tells the inspirational story based on the young life of the noted African American folksinger, guitarist, and songwriter, Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten. Elizabeth borrows a guitar from a friend and teaches herself to play it left-handed. Eventually, Elizabeth earns enough money to buy a guitar of her own and, when only eleven years old, writers her first song. That song, “Freight Train,” has become a folk music classic. Elizabeth’s unique style of playing guitar (upside down and backwards), from which the term “cotton-picking” is derived, has inspired countless other artists.