While working Cotten met Ruth Crawford Seeger and shortly after started working at the Seeger Household. Mike Seeger, a famous folk singer soon learned how talented Cotten was and began recording her work. Cotten recordings was one of the few authentic folk-music albums available by the early 1960’s. At the age of 62, Cotten had recorded her first album “Elizabeth Cotten: Negro Folk Songs and Tunes”, now known as “ Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs”. As her music career took her Cotten began a tour throughout North America. Her career generated media attention and won her many awards.