Sleepy John Estes

Sleepy John Estes ( born January 25, 1904 in Ripley, Tennessee, † June 5, 1977 in Brownsville, Tennessee; actually John Adam Estes ) was an influential American blues guitarist, singer and composer. His nickname Sleepy John is attributed to low blood pressure and the resulting sleep onset. It is reported that he was able to sleep standing up and is supposed to be asleep on stage.

Life

As a child, Estes went blind after a baseball accident in his right eye. He built an early age from a cigar box guitars to play it. 1915 the family moved to Brownsville, Tennessee, where the mandolin player Yank Rachell Estes met; the two were longtime Blue partners. Another childhood friend of Estes was Sonny Boy Williamson.

Estes, Hammie Nixon and Rachell ( harmonica) often occurred together. With the Jug player and pianist Jab Jones Estes and Rachell founded in Memphis, the "Three J's Jug Band " that made 1929 and 1930 some shots. In 1931, Estes and Nixon went to Chicago. Later they went about in search of performances. 1937 and 1938 they made recordings in New York, among others, along with Robert Nighthawk.

In 1941, Estes moved back to Brownsville. Musically, it was quiet around him, and he is said to have been even thought to be dead. In 1950 he was completely blind. As part of the folk revival, he was in 1962, penniless, rediscovered. He joined in 1964 with Rachell and Nixon at the Newport Folk Festival, took on some albums and went on tour again, before tying him health problems at his home in Brownsville.

Sleepy John Estes died on 5 June 1977 and in Durhamville, Tennessee, buried.

Discography (selection)

• Complete Recorded Works 1929-1941 Vols 1-2
• I Is not Gonna Be Worried No More 1929-1941
• The Legend of Sleepy John Estes
• Broke and Hungry
• Brownsville Blues
• Down South Blues
• Sleepy John Estes in Europe
• Electric Sleep