John Estes

Blues singer/guitarist "Sleepy" John Estes--he got his nickname because he had the ability to take naps whenever and wherever he felt the need--was born in the small farming town of Ripley, TN, in 1904, to a family of poor sharecroppers. He was raised in the nearby town of Brownsville. A childhood accident resulted in his losing sight in his right eye. He taught himself to play guitar, and it wasn't long before he was performing at picnics and parties in the area, at times working with famed mandolin player Yank Rachell. In the 1920s Estes, Rachell and harmonica/jug player Hammie Nixon traveled to Memphis, TN, and performed in jug bands on street corners. In 1929 Estes signed a recording contract with Victor Records. In 1931 he and Nixon moved to Chicago, where Estes also recorded for Decca Records, and in the 1940s he made some recordings for Bluebird Records, where his biggest hit, "Someday, Baby", became known as a blues classic and featured Estes' signature crying vocals and well-crafted lyrics. He eventually returned to Brownsville and slowed down his recording career, although he did occasionally travel to Memphis to record, often for Sam Phillips at the legendary Sun Records studio. Unfortunately, Estes eventually lost the sight in his left eye, also, leaving him completely blind. By the end of the 1950s he had faded from the blues scene (many fans actually thought he had died). In 1962 Estes was discovered living in abject poverty in Brownsville. Thanks to a revival of interest in the blues at that time, Estes' career was revived, and he appeared in several blues documentaries in addition to going on the road and playing in clubs, concerts and blues and folk festivals. He also recorded an album, "Sleepy John Estes". He appeared at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964 and toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival. He played again at the Newport Folk Festival in 1969 and at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival that same year. He appeared in the American Smithsonian Institution's Festival of American Folklife in 1970 and again in 1973. He died in 1977 in Brownsville, TN.