hypersongs

The Cox Family

The Cotton Valley, Louisiana bluegrass gospel family band, produced by Alison Krauss, who sang "I Am Weary (Let Me Rest)" on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.

Cotton Valley

The Cox Family is a country and bluegrass gospel family band from Cotton Valley in Webster Parish, northwestern Louisiana. Willard Cox, who worked in the Cotton Valley oil fields, formed it in 1971 according to The Absolute Sound, or 1972 by Bluegrass Today, with his daughters Lynn and Evelyn, and Sidney and Suzanne joined as they got old enough. Lynn left in 1995. They played regionally in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas, made a first 45, "Broken Engagement", and appeared on the Old South Jamboree. Their 1987 album Heartaches Along the Horizon appeared on Wilcox. Alison Krauss found them at a Texas bluegrass festival after hearing a lo-fi cassette and produced three of their albums, and was called their biggest fan.

Everybody's Reaching Out for Someone (April 1, 1993, Rounder) was produced by Krauss. I Know Who Holds Tomorrow (January 28, 1994), made with Krauss, won the Grammy for best Southern, country or bluegrass gospel album at the 37th Grammys. Beyond the City (April 25, 1995, Rounder) was Grammy-nominated, and Just When We're Thinking It's Over (July 30, 1996) came out on Asylum with Krauss producing. They were interviewed for the Country Music Hall of Fame's oral history on July 25, 1995, and toured with Counting Crows.

Gone Like the Cotton

Sessions at Emerald Studio in Nashville from late 1997 to February 1998 for a further album were left unfinished when Asylum dropped the band around 1998. In April 2015 the family returned to the studio to finish vocals, and Gone Like the Cotton came out on Rounder on October 23, 2015, with Krauss producing and Gary Paczosa engineering, reaching number one on the US bluegrass chart and 23 on Heatseekers. The musicians included Pig Robbins on piano, Ron Block, Barry Bales, Dan Tyminski, Viktor Krauss, Sam Bush and Sonny Landreth. Sidney Cox said, this is the pinnacle of all that we could give out of our hearts for the music that we loved and cherished.

Willard Cox died on November 4, 2019, aged 82, and Evelyn Cox Hobbs on May 5, 2026, aged 66; Krauss called Evelyn incredibly funny, strong, and one of the best, clearest, most exact singers you've ever heard. The last setlist.fm show is from the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium on April 29, 2026, among 19 setlists since 1982. The Northwest Louisiana Walk of Stars honored the family, per a search summary.

Albums

Songs

  • I Am Weary (Let Me Rest) O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Soundtrack) · 2000

    The Cox Family's version of a bluegrass song, recorded for the O Brother soundtrack and played at the Ryman for Down from the Mountain.

Sources

  1. The Cox Family, Wikipedia
  2. Cox Family oral history, Country Music Hall of Fame
  3. Gone but not forgotten, The Absolute Sound
  4. Evelyn Cox Hobbs passes, Bluegrass Today (2026-05)