John Adam Estes (born in Ripley, Lauderdale County, Tennessee, January 25, … Read Full Bio ↴John Adam Estes (born in Ripley, Lauderdale County, Tennessee, January 25, 1899 — Brownsville, Haywood County, Tennessee, June 5, 1977) best known as Sleepy John Estes or Sleepy John, was a blues guitarist, songwriter and vocalist.

In 1915, Estes' father, a sharecropper who also played some guitar, moved the family to Brownsville, Tennessee. Not long after, Estes lost the sight of his right eye when a friend threw a rock at him during a baseball game. At the age of 19, while working as a field hand, he began to perform professionally. The venues were mostly local parties and picnics, with the accompaniment of Hammie Nixon, a harmonica player, and James "Yank" Rachell, a guitarist and mandolin player. He would continue to work on and off with both musicians for more than fifty years.
Estes made his debut as a recording artist in Memphis, Tennessee in 1929, at a session organized by Ralph Peer for Victor Records. His partnership with Nixon was first documented on songs such as "Drop Down Mama" and "Someday Baby Blues" in 1935; later sides replaced the harmonica player with the guitarists Son Bonds or Charlie Pickett. He later recorded for the Decca and Bluebird labels, with his last pre-war recording session taking place in 1941. He made a brief return to recording at Sun Studio in Memphis in 1952, recording "Runnin' Around" and "Rats in My Kitchen", but otherwise was largely out of the public eye for two decades.
Estes was a fine singer, with a distinctive "crying" vocal style. He frequently teamed with more capable musicians, like "Yank" Rachell, Hammie Nixon, and the piano player Jab Jones. Estes sounded so much like an old man, even on his early records, that blues revivalists reportedly delayed looking for him because they assumed he would have to be long dead, and because fellow musician Big Bill Broonzy had written that Estes had died. By the time he was tracked down, by Bob Koester and Samuel Charters in 1962, he had become completely blind and was living in poverty. He resumed touring and recording, reunited with Nixon and toured Europe several times and Japan, with a clutch of albums released on the Delmark Records label. His later records are generally considered less interesting than his pre-war output. Nevertheless, Estes, Nixon and Rachell also made a successful appearance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival.
Bob Dylan mentions Estes in the sleevenotes to Bringing It All Back Home (1965).
Many of Estes' original songs were based on events in his own life or on people he knew from his home town of Brownsville, Tennessee, such as the local lawyer ("Lawyer Clark Blues"), local auto mechanic ("Vassie Williams' Blues"), or an amorously inclined teenage girl ("Little Laura Blues"). "Lawyer Clark Blues" referenced the lawyer, and later judge and senator, Hugh L. Clarke. Clarke and his family lived in Brownsville, and according to the song let Estes 'off the hook' for an offense.
He also dispensed advice on agricultural matters ("Working Man Blues") and chronicled his own attempt to reach a recording studio for a session by hopping a freight train ("Special Agent (Railroad Police Blues)"). His lyrics combined keen observation with an ability to turn an effective phrase.
Some accounts attribute his nickname "Sleepy" to a blood pressure disorder and/or narcolepsy. Others, such as blues historian Bob Koester, claim he simply had a "tendency to withdraw from his surroundings into drowsiness whenever life was too cruel or too boring to warrant full attention".

Estes suffered a stroke while preparing for a European tour, and died on June 5, 1977, at his home of 17 years in Brownsville, Haywood County, Tennessee. Estes is buried at Elam Baptist Church Cemetery in Durhamville, Lauderdale County, Tennessee.

His gravemarker reads:
Sleepy John Estes
".. ain't goin' to worry Poor John's mind anymore"
In Memory
John Adam Estes
Jan. 25, 1899
June 5, 1977
Blues Pioneer
Guitarist – Songwriter – Poet

Sleepy John Estes' epitaph ".. ain't goin' to worry Poor John's mind anymore" was derived from his song, "Someday Baby Blues." "I Ain't Gonna Be Worried No More" was recorded in 1935, and in his song "Drop Down Mama", also recorded in 1935, Sleepy John refers to himself as "Poor John". Estes' grave at Elam Baptist Church Cemetery in Durhamville is located off a country road and at the far end of the cemetery. His grave is adjacent to a small grove of trees, secluded but not hidden.

In 1991, Estes was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

The Girl I Love She Got Long Curly Hair
Sleepy John Estes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now, I'm goin' to Brownsville an
Take that right hand road
Now, I'm goin' to Brownsville
Take that right hand road
Lord, I ain't gon' stop walkin'
'Till I get in sweet mama's do'

Now, the girl I'm lovin'

She got the great, long, curly hair
Now, the girl I'm lovin'
She's got the great, long, curly hair
An her mama an her papa
They sho' don't 'llow me there

If you catch my duffel
Hangin' upside yo' wall
If you catch my duffel
Hangin' upside yo' wall
Now, you know by that, babe
I need my ashes hauled

Now, what cha' gon do, babe
Yo' doughroller gone?
What you gon do, babe
Yo' doughroller gone?

Go in yo' kitchen, Lordy
Cook until she comes.

Overall Meaning

The first two paragraphs of the song are about the singer's journey to find his lover. He is heading to Brownsville and takes the right-hand road until he reaches his "sweet mama's do'". This could be interpreted as him traveling through difficult paths and obstacles to get to his destination. He has a clear determination to reach his lover and won't stop walking until he gets to her.

The next two paragraphs describe the girl he's in love with. She has "great, long, curly hair" that he adores. However, her parents disapprove of their relationship and perhaps the singer's lifestyle. The line "an her mama an her papa, they sho' don't 'llow me there" suggests that her family looks down on him and does not want him to be with their daughter. Despite this, the singer is still in love with her and willing to go great lengths to be with her.

The last paragraph of the song seems to refer to an intimate encounter. The reference to "duffel" is slang for a bag or suitcase, and "ashes hauled" is another slang term for sex. The singer is telling his lover that if she sees his bag hanging upside down on the wall, then she knows what he needs. In the last line, he is giving her instructions to "go in yo' kitchen" and "cook until she comes", which could be interpreted as a euphemism for a sexual act.

Overall, the song is about a man who is deeply in love with a woman but faces societal barriers to their relationship. He is determined to overcome these obstacles and be with her, even if it means traveling through difficult paths and facing disapproval from her family.

Line by Line Meaning

Now, I'm goin' to Brownsville an
I'm heading to Brownsville town through the right-hand road

Take that right hand road
Drive through the road that turns right

Lord, I ain't gon' stop walkin'
I won't quit walking until I make it to my beloved's doorstep

'Till I get in sweet mama's do'
Until I'm able to enter the dwelling of my beloved one

Now, the girl I'm lovin'
The woman I'm in love with

She got the great, long, curly hair
She is endowed with very stunning, long, coiling hair

An her mama an her papa
Her parents

They sho' don't 'llow me there
They never allow me into their home for reasons known to them

If you catch my duffel
If you find my bag

Hangin' upside yo' wall
Hanging on your wall in a reversed manner

Now, you know by that, babe
You're aware of what that means, honey