Cotton Fields
The Highwaymen
1962
Annual listening list: initial release cycle, with recent carryovers; not an original-release-date field. Release chronology remains partly unverified.
Release year not established
Release year not establishedDate review open
A first-release date was not established in the available metadata.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
About The Highwaymen
Song-specific inspiration or recording background is not established for this entry. This sourced artist profile provides career context.
The Highwaymen were a folk quintet formed by Wesleyan University undergraduates, including Bob Burnett and Dave Fisher. What began as entertainment for a fraternity developed into a recording career, with their version of Michael, Row the Boat Ashore reaching a national audience while the members were still students. The original group later reunited for performances and recordings after a long break, carrying its collegiate folk roots into a second period of activity.
Artist background sources
Wesleyan University - Remembering Bob Burnett and the Highwaymen
Wesleyan folk group, Burnett, fraternity beginnings, student-era hit and later reunion; distinct from country supergroup. | Retrieved 2026-10-19
Wesleyan University - Dave Fisher, Co-Founder of the Highwaymen, Dies
Dave Fisher's membership in the original folk quintet, as read in the university's retrieved article excerpt. | Retrieved 2026-10-19
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-19. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
Retained annual-list context
Cotton Fields by The Highwaymen appears at number 36 in the reviewed U.S. year-end table for 1962. No reliable song-specific account of its inspiration was established in this review.
Annual-list context only; songwriting inspiration remains unestablished
Billboard year-end 1962 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata.
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Original release date and exact pressing/version are not independently established.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Editorial artist-repertoire classification
Billboard year-end 1962 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.