Sleepy John Estes

John Adam Estes (January 25, 1899 or 1900 – June 5, 1977), performing as Sleepy John Estes, was an American blues guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. His music influenced such artists as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 25, 1899 (Ripley), Died June 5, 1977 (Brownsville)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1941

Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Victor	BVE-55531	10-in.	9/17/1929	Broken hearted, ragged and dirty, too	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with mandolin, guitar, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-55581	10-in.	9/24/1929	The girl I love she got long curly hair	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with mandolin, guitar, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-55596	10-in.	9/26/1929	Diving duck blues	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with mandolin, guitar, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-55597	10-in.	9/26/1929	Little Sarah	Sleepy John Estes ; Yank Rachell	Male vocal duet, with mandolin, guitar, and piano	vocalist
Victor	BVE-56335	10-in.	10/2/1929	Black Mattie blues	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-56336	10-in.	10/2/1929	T-bone steak blues	Sleepy John Estes ; Yank Rachell	Male vocal duet, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BVE-59918	10-in.	5/13/1930	Milk cow blues	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-59919	10-in.	5/13/1930	Street car blues	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-59934	10-in.	5/17/1930	Expressman blues	Sleepy John Estes ; Yank Rachell	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BVE-59935	10-in.	5/17/1930	Wadie green blues	Sleepy John Estes ; Yank Rachell	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BVE-59967	10-in.	5/21/1930	Whatcha' doin'	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-59968	10-in.	5/21/1930	Poor John blues	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-62547	10-in.	5/30/1930	Stack o' dollars	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-62548	10-in.	5/30/1930	My black gal blues	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BVE-62549	10-in.	5/30/1930	Ninety pound mama	Sleepy John Estes ; Yank Rachell	Male vocal duet, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BVE-62550	10-in.	5/30/1930	Sweet mama	Sleepy John Estes ; Yank Rachell	Male vocal solo, with guitar, mandolin, and piano	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BVE-64736	10-in.	11/26/1930	Ticket agent blues	Noah Lewis' Jug Band	Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BVE-64737	10-in.	11/26/1930	New Minglewood blues	Noah Lewis' Jug Band	Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BVE-64738	10-in.	11/28/1930	Selling the jelly	Noah Lewis' Jug Band	Instrumental ensemble, with female vocal solo	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BVE-64739	10-in.	11/28/1930	Bad luck's my buddy	Noah Lewis' Jug Band	Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-064915	10-in.	9/24/1941	Don't you want to know?	Delta Boys	Male vocal solo and duet, with instrumental trio	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer
Victor	BS-064916	10-in.	9/24/1941	You shouldn't do that	Delta Boys	Male vocal solo and duet, with instrumental trio	composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-064917	10-in.	9/24/1941	When the saints go marching in	Delta Boys	Male vocal solo and duet, with instrumental trio	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-064918	10-in.	9/24/1941	Black gal swing	Delta Boys	Male vocal solo and duet, with instrumental trio	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-064919	10-in.	9/24/1941	Get up and go	Delta Boys	Male vocal solo and duet, with instrumental trio	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-064920	10-in.	9/24/1941	Every time my heart beats	Delta Boys	Male vocal solo and duet, with instrumental trio	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-064921	10-in.	9/24/1941	80 Highway blues	Son Bonds	Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars and imitation tub bass	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-064922	10-in.	9/24/1941	A hard pill to swallow	Son Bonds	Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars and imitation tub bass	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-064923	10-in.	9/24/1941	Come back home (Little girl)	Son Bonds	Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars and imitation tub bass	instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-064924	10-in.	9/24/1941	Lawyer Clark	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars and imitation tub bass	composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-064925	10-in.	9/24/1941	Little Laura blues	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars and imitation tub bass	composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-064926	10-in.	9/24/1941	Working man blues	Sleepy John Estes	Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars and imitation tub bass	instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist
Decca	62461	10-in.	8/2/1937	Government money	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62462	10-in.	8/2/1937	I wanta tear it all the time-1	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62463	10-in.	8/2/1937	Vernita blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62464	10-in.	8/2/1937	I ain't gonna be worried no more-1	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62465	10-in.	8/2/1937	Floating bridge	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62466	10-in.	7/27/1937	Need more blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62469	10-in.	8/2/1937	Pitchin' boogie	Lee Brown		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62470	10-in.	8/2/1937	She's my all and all	Lee Brown		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62479	10-in.	8/3/1937	Jack and Jill blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist
Decca	62480	10-in.	8/3/1937	Poor man's friend (T model)	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist
Decca	62481	10-in.	8/3/1937	Hobo jungle blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist
Decca	62482	10-in.	8/3/1937	Airplane blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist
Decca	62483	10-in.	8/3/1937	You may be beautiful but you got to die-1, 2	Lee Green		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62484	10-in.	8/3/1937	I'm gonna beat your bread-1, 2	Lee Green		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62485	10-in.	8/3/1937	Whip it up and down	Lee Green		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	62486	10-in.	8/3/1937	The way I feel	Lee Green		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63647	10-in.	4/22/1938	Everybody oughta make a change	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63648	10-in.	4/22/1938	Liquor store blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63649	10-in.	4/22/1938	Easin' back to Tennessee	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63650	10-in.	4/22/1938	Fire department blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63651	10-in.	4/22/1938	Clean it up at home	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63652	10-in.	4/22/1938	New someday baby	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63653	10-in.	4/22/1938	Brownsville blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63654	10-in.	4/22/1938	Special agent (Railroad police blues)	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63660	10-in.	4/22/1938	I'll work up to you someday	Brownsville "Son" Bonds		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	63661	10-in.	4/22/1938	Old bachelor blues	Brownsville "Son" Bonds		instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	90094	10-in.	7/9/1935	Down South blues-1	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	90095	10-in.	7/9/1935	Stop that thing	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	90096	10-in.	7/9/1935	Someday baby blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	90097	10-in.	7/9/1935	Who's been tellin' you Buddy Brown blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	90175	10-in.	7/17/1935	Married woman blues	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	90176	10-in.	7/17/1935	Drop down Mama	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	93004	10-in.	6/4/1940	Mailman blues-2, 3	Sleepy John Estes		instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Decca	93005	10-in.	6/4/1940	Time is drawing near-2	Sleepy John Estes		instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Decca	93006	10-in.	6/4/1940	Mary come on home-2	Sleepy John Estes		instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Decca	93007	10-in.	6/4/1940	Jailhouse blues-1, 3	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Decca	93008	10-in.	6/4/1940	Tell me how about it-1, 3, 4	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist
Decca	93009	10-in.	6/4/1940	Drop down-1, 3, 4	Sleepy John Estes		vocalist

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Estes, Sleepy John," accessed April 16, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104491.

Estes, Sleepy John. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104491.

"Estes, Sleepy John." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 16 April 2024.

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