Sleepy John Estes
By J Poet
John Adam Estes, better known as Sleepy John Estes, earned his nickname for his ability to sleep anywhere, even standing up on the job. He was a fine, guitar player with a style marked by a relentless pounding on the fat E string to provide a percussive pulse to his playing, but it was his singing that made him legendary. Estes had a high, keening, soulful voice, a insistent almost falsetto wail so full of loss, pain, and despair that it shook the core of everyone who heard him sing. He was an early blues star who recorded hit records for Victor, Champion, Decca, and Bluebird during the 20s and 30s, but he retired in 1940 after going completely bind. He was rediscovered by blues scholars and folklorists in the 1960s and had a second... Read More
- City Of Origin:
- Nutbush, Tennessee, United States
- Genre:
- Blues, Country Blues, Memphis Blues
- Birthdate:
- 01/25/1899
- Death date:
- 06/05/1977