Drop Down Mama - "Sleepy" John Estes.

Here's a record I bought in the 1950's when going through my 'duffel coat, roll-neck sweater, corduroy trousers and sandals' phase. (A real "mouldy fig", as the sharp suited 'modern' jazz fans called us 'trad' fans.)
It is one of the recordings sponsored by "The Jazz Appreciation Society" and features Sleepy John in typical form and accompanied by Hammie Nixon on harmonica.
Born John Adam Estes, to a sharecropper family in Ripley Tennessee on the 25th. Jan. 1904, his life was complicated from the start. One of a family of ten, at the age of six he lost his right eye in a baseball accident. As his father was a guitarist, he grew up with similar interests and made himself cigar-box guitars to play from the early days.
He went totally blind in 1950, and had gained the sobriquet "sleepy" from a chronic blood pressure disorder which led to fits of narcolepsy, which caused him to drop off to sleep without warning, sometimes standing up!
He was "rediscovered" during the blues revival in 1962, after a long and varied career through the 1920's and 30's.
He died on the 5th. June 1977

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Blues
• Jazz
• Sleepy_John_Estes
• Drop_Down_Mama
• Revival

[HieronymousLex]

How do you say his name? Estes?

[MoleDFigg]

I always pronounce it "Esstees"

[acefrancisco]

Careful, you're on the point of being patronising. 'They'?, 'folks'?. C'mon. Its all about honesty with the blues. No music resides in just one race, it would like saying certain styles of music reside in certain social classes. Dangerous and a bit silly.

[doubleotwentyone]

What about the fact that he was one of the true greats of the country blues and we all can appreciate it?

[Winters362]

Robert Plant was a huge fan of John Estes, he even wanted his voice... Custards Pie would be more of a "tribute" as often in blues music artist would "cover" each others music without asking...after all its about the music not the money right?

[dreacul]

Such a great song!!!!!

Respects from Romania!

[midtrain1981]

nice



[beelzabubba]

L&ter known &s "Cust&rd Pie" by Led Zeppelin. My (letter before B) key don't work.

[meraklees]

@acefrancisco /watch?v=9EpmGIA4u-I&feature=r­elated

Greek songs written same time in Smyrna. None of them ever heard of blues

[JimiHendrixFeyenoord]

real blues story

[bassmule]

Woman I'm lovin' whoa, 'n' she's solid gold/Only woman I mortgage on my soul.

[bluesman769]

CLASSIC OF THE BLUES!

[bluestate69]

@zed0469 it's messed up that they didn't credit the originals. in zep's defense, the music and the riff are original. even if they did credit the original artist, the royalties probably would have gone to a record company instead of the families. which really sucks. what people forget, is that these same artists never saw the money, even if they had a recording contract.

[sackasilver]

I just added an old magazine to my collection with Sleepy John Estes on the cover with a great interview inside. It's for sale at guitarpulp com I love these old blues recordings.