Sleepy John Estes

b. John Adams Estes, 25 January 1899, Ripley, Tennessee, USA, d. 5 June 1977, Brownsville, Tennessee, USA. This influential blues singer first performed at local house-parties while in his early teens. In 1916 he began working with mandolinist Yank Rachell, a partnership that was revived several times throughout their respective careers. It was also during this formative period that Estes met Hammie Nixon (harmonica), another individual with whom he shared a long-standing empathy. Estes made his recording debut in September 1929. He eventually completed eight masters for the RCA Records company, including the original versions of "Diving Duck Blues", "Poor John Blues" and the seminal, often-covered "Milk Cow Blues". These assured compositions inspired interpretations from artists as diverse as Taj Mahal, Tom Rush and the Kinks. However, despite remaining an active performer throughout the 30s, Estes retired from music in 1941. A childhood accident impaired his eyesight and by 1950 he had become completely blind. The singer resumed performing with several low-key sessions for Hammie Nixon, before reasserting his own recording career in 1962. Several excellent albums for Chicago's Delmark Records label followed, one of which, Broke And Hungry, featured a young Mike Bloomfield on guitar. Estes, Nixon and Rachell also made a successful appearance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival and the three veterans continued to work together until 1976 when Estes suffered a stroke.

DISCOGRAPHY: The Legend Of Sleepy John Estes (Delmark 1962)***, Broke And Hungry, Ragged And Hungry Too (Delmark 1963)***, Brownsville Blues (Delmark 1965)***, Electric Sleep (Delmark 1966)***, In Europe (Delmark 1969)***, Down South Blues (Delmark 1974)***, Newport Blues 1964 recordings (Delmark 2003)**.

COMPILATIONS: 1929-30 Sessions (Roots 1978)***, The Blues Of Sleepy John Estes '34-'40 (Swaggie 1982)***, The Blues Of Sleepy John Estes '34-'40, Volume Two (Swaggie 1983)***, I Ain't Gonna Be Worried No More: 1929-1941 (Yazoo/Shanachie 1992)***, Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 1: 24 September 1929 To 2 August 1937 (Document 1994)***, Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 2: 2 August 1937 To 24 September 1941 (Document 1994)***, Someday Baby: The Essential Recordings Of Sleepy John Estes (Indigo 1996)****, Goin' To Brownsville (Testament 1998)****, Someday Baby Blues (Complete Blues 2004)****.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music