Sleepy John Estes

 

John Adam Estes, known 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.
Estes was born in Ripley, Tennessee, either in 1899 (the date on his gravestone) or 1900 (the date on his World War I draft card). In 1915, his father, a sharecropper who played guitar, moved the family to Brownsville, Tennessee. Not long after, Estes lost the sight in his right eye when a friend threw a rock at him. At the age of 19, while working as a field hand, he began to perform professionally, mostly at parties and picnics, with the accompaniment of Hammie Nixon, a harmonica player, and James "Yank" Rachell, a guitarist and mandolin player. Estes continued to work on and off with both musicians for more than fifty years. He also performed in medicine shows with Willie Newbern.

At the suggestion of Jim Jackson, Estes made his debut as a recording artist in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1929, at a session organized by Ralph Peer for Victor Records. He recorded the tracks "Drop Down Mama" and "Someday Baby Blues" with Nixon in 1935. He later worked with Son Bonds and Charlie Pickett. He went on to record for Decca Records and Bluebird Records, with his last prewar 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 out of the public eye in the 1940s and 1950s.

Estes sang with a distinctive "crying" vocal style. He frequently teamed with more capable musicians, such as 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 the musician Big Bill Broonzy had written that he was dead). By the time he was tracked down by the blues historians Bob Koester and Samuel Charters in 1962, he was completely blind and living in poverty. He resumed touring with Nixon and recording for Delmark Records. Estes, Nixon and Rachell appeared at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964.

Many of Estes's original songs were based on events in his life or people he knew in his hometown, Brownsville, such as the local lawyer ("Lawyer Clark Blues"), the local auto mechanic ("Vassie Williams' Blues"), or an amorously inclined teenage girl ("Little Laura Blues"). In "Lawyer Clark Blues", about the lawyer and later judge and senator Hugh L. Clarke, whose family lived in Brownsville, Estes sang that Clark let him "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 the nickname Sleepy to a blood pressure disorder or narcolepsy. Bob Koester, the founder of Delmark Records, said that Estes simply had a "tendency to withdraw from his surroundings into drowsiness whenever life was too cruel or too boring to warrant full attention". Estes himself explained that the nickname was born of his exhausting life as both musician and farmer. "'Every night I was going somewhere. I'd work all day, play all night and get back home about sunrise. I'd get the mule and get right on going. I went to sleep once in the shed. I used to go to sleep so much when we were playing, they called me Sleepy. But I never missed a note.

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.

Earl Gaines

 

 Earl Gaines Jr. (August 19, 1935 – December 31, 2009) was an American soul blues and electric blues singer. Born in Decatur, Alabama, he sang lead vocals on the hit single "It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)", credited to Louis Brooks and his Hi-Toppers, before undertaking a low-key solo career. In the latter capacity he had minor success with "The Best of Luck to You" (1966) and "Hymn Number 5" (1973). Noted as the best R&B singer from Nashville, Gaines was also known for his lengthy career.

Gaines was born in Decatur, Alabama, in 1935. After moving from his hometown in his teenage years, and relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, he found employment as both a singer and occasional drummer. Via work he did for local songwriter Ted Jarrett, Gaines moved from singing in clubs to meeting Louis Brooks. Brooks led the instrumental Hi-Toppers group, who had a recording contract with the Excello label. Their subsequent joint recording, "It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)," peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard R&B chart in 1955. It was Gaines' biggest hit, but his name was not credited on the record.

Breaking away from the confines of the group, Gaines became part of the 1955 R&B Caravan of Stars, with Bo Diddley, Big Joe Turner, and Etta James Their tour culminated with an appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall.[2] Without any tangible success, Gaines recorded for the Champion and Poncello labels for another few years, as well as joining Bill Doggett's band as lead vocalist. In 1963, he joined Bill "Hoss" Allen's repertoire of artists, and by 1966 had issued the album The Best of Luck to You, seeing the title track reach the Top 40 in the US R&B chart. He appeared on the television program The !!!! Beat, and later released material for King and Sound Stage 7, including his cover version of "Hymn Number 5". Recordings made between 1967 and 1973 for De Luxe were reissued in 1998. On many of his De Luxe recordings in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Gaines was backed by Freddy Robinson's orchestra.

In 1975, Gaines recorded "Drowning On Dry Land" for Ace, before leaving the music industry for almost a decade and a half, to work as a truck driver. He finally re-emerged in 1989 with the album House Party.

In the 1990s Gaines worked with Roscoe Shelton and Clifford Curry. On Appaloosa Records, Gaines issued I Believe in Your Love (1995), and in 1997 he reunited with Curry and Shelton for a collaborative live album. He released Everything’s Gonna Be Alright in 1998. Gaines work was on the 2005 Grammy Award-winning Night Train To Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945–1970, an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. His own albums The Different Feelings of Blues and Soul (2005) and Nothin’ But the Blues (2008) followed, the latter released on the Ecko label.

In late 2009 Gaines had to cancel a concert tour of Europe due to ill health, and he died in Nashville on the last day of that year, at the age of 74.

Kings & Associates

 

 

 

Since their humble beginnings winning the 2014 ARBA award for ‘Most Outstanding New Act KINGS  &  ASSOCIATES have truly developed into one of Australia’s most uniquely new and exciting neo blues acts. Within 2 short years The Kings had quickly become a regular at Australian festivals including Mordi, Blenheim, Echuca, Semaphore and Bendigo, along with premier venues such as the Cherrybar (Melbourne), Lazybones (Sydney), and the Gov (Adelaide).

Their debut album ‘Red Dress’ was tracked in various studios around Adelaide from April to June ’14, with the guys heading to Nashville for final production and mixing with Andrija Tokic in July. Tokic mixed the Grammy nominated smash debut album for the Alabama Shakes ‘Boys & Girls’. The album also features some of Nashville’s best musos including the late Ikey Owens from the ‘Jack White band’ & ‘The Mars Volta’ on hammond, rhodes & farfisa. Red Dress incredibly hit no.1 on the iTunes Blues charts in Australia.

K I N G S  &  A S S O C I A T E S are excited to announce the follow up to their debut album Red Dress…..TALES OF A RICH GIRL dropped on 6/10/17! This marks over 2 years of writing, touring and recording with 10 new original tracks on what is expected to be a land mark release….and going by the reputation of those who helped make this album a reality it’s no wonder expectation is high. This started with tracking in LA in August ’16 with 7 time Grammy winner Jim Scott as engineer and producer. Scott’s catalogue of hit albums and awards include the Rolling Stones, Tedeschi Trucks, Sting, the Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters, Matchbox 20 and Crowded House. After initially making contact with the management of the industry legend Scott personally reached out to the band to confirm his interest and ‘book the session’. Bassist and co-songwriter Steve Portolesi rates this 6 day session in Scott’s studio PLYRZ in Valencia north of Hollywood as the musical highlight of his career. ‘Jim is the most down to earth guy we’ve met, and considering his massive list of successful recordings I have to say it was totally refreshing. He knew how to create the perfect environment to get the best out of you both in performance and creativity….but still having time to eat, hang and chat….’ Portolesi says, ‘at times Kelv and I had to pinch ourselves to remind us of where we were and who we were working with, this guy had worked with bands and artists who have sold millions of albums and influenced us personally, to have the opportunity to work with him and have him speak into our songs was humbling to say the least’. So, after a brief 9 day trip across the pacific the album was tracked and it was back to Adelaide Australia to finish editing.

But, the quality didn’t finish with Jim Scott and LA… the band secured the services of Nashville based Vance Powell to mix the album, another industry legend and multi Grammy winner. Powell’s credits include Grammys with the Dixie Chicks and Jack White and had just finished producing the breakthrough album for Chris Stapleton. So it was back to the States again to mix the album in Music City….this time the band used the trip to perform live including shows at the legendary Bourbon St Blues Club in Printers Lane Nashville, and a quick fire semifinal appearance at the IBC in Memphis….between tracking in LA with Jim Scott, and mixing in Nashville with Vance Powell the guys had travelled over 34,000 miles in 8 months to finish their album.

‘Unlike Red Dress where we felt we were finding our feet stylistically, Tales is a lot closer to our heart’ says lyricist and vocalist Angie Portolesi. ‘This album was written for most from real life experiences…friends dying, relationships breaking up, overcoming personal tragedy, significant life changes, these are all the stories of our lives…these songs represent who we are today in so many respects, they speak back to us like kids, and we can say we’re proud of them’. 

By week 2 the album went to number 1 on the Australian blues and roots radio charts, and debuted at number 30 on the international charts which is compiled from global radio play lists. Reviews have been nothing short of astonishing with Huff Post’s Randy Radic labelling it “a humdinger from the land down under”, Chris Spector from Midwest Records describing it as “killer stuff that knows all the right moves….”, and from PBS Melbourne Peter Merrett stating “wow! I think I’ve just been to heaven and back delivered a new man….”.

Producing and performing music is not the sole focus or motivation for Kings & Associates. In conjunction with their new album the band continues their relationship with global NGO World Vision. This partnership was birthed from the 2016 Red Dress album which was produced as part of World Vision’s #nochildforsale campaign to help raise awareness of childhood sex slavery, specifically in Brazil. Kings & Associates have developed a close relationship with World Vision as a partner artist, the issue of sex slavery remains a driving passion for the band and a huge influence on their artistic direction. ‘We’re not about bashing people on the head with a social message or pointing the finger’ comments Angie, ‘our time in Memphis and specifically our visit to the site of the shooting of Martin Luther King reaffirmed in us how slavery has been with us for generations and the impact it’s had on humanity is something we need to continue to address. It’s not about saying “there are the bad guys over there”, but for us it’s about saying what in my life allows the repressed of this world to remain enslaved’.

Tales Of A Rich Girl is available on cd from kingsandassociatesmusic.com and the bands’ FB page along with iTunes, Amazon and most other on line outlets.

Kings & Associates will be performing a string of shows throughout Australia to support their new album.

Breaking news…the Kings have been added to the bill of the 2018 Womadelaide festival held in Adelaide annually in March. Womadelaide features acts from all over the globe with literally 10’s of thousands of people attending this mega event.

Dennis Burns

 

 Dennis Burns has been a performing and teaching musician in Boulder, Colorado for over 30 years. In 2005 his recording A Rose On The Lake was released on the Avant-Acoustic label. He is also the founder of BOLDER Sounds, a sound design company that specializes in the production of sample libraries (otherwise known as virtual instruments).

  https://www.dennisburnsguitar.com/

Bukka White

 

Bukka White was born south of Houston, Mississippi. He was a first cousin of B.B. King's mother (White's mother and King's grandmother were sisters).

Bukka is a phonetic spelling of White's first name; he was named after the African-American educator and civil rights activist Booker T. Washington.

He played National resonator guitars, typically with a slide, in an open tuning. He was one of the few, along with Skip James, to use a crossnote tuning in E minor, which he may have learned, as James did, from Henry Stuckey. He also played piano, but less adeptly.

White started his career playing the fiddle at square dances. He claimed to have met Charlie Patton soon after, but some have doubted this recollection.[4] Nonetheless, Patton was a strong influence on White. "I wants to come to be a great man like Charlie Patton", White told his friends.

He first recorded for Victor Records in 1930. His recordings for Victor, like those of many other bluesmen, included country blues and gospel music. Victor published his photograph in 1930. His gospel songs were done in the style of Blind Willie Johnson, with a female singer accentuating the last phrase of each line. From fourteen recordings, Victor released two records under the name Washington White, two gospel songs with Memphis Minnie on backing vocals and two country blues.
Nine years later, while serving time for assault, he recorded for the folklorist John Lomax. The few songs he recorded around this time became his most well known: "Shake 'Em On Down" and "Po' Boy". His 1937 version of the oft-recorded song "Shake 'Em on Down" is considered definitive; it became a hit while White was serving time in Mississippi State Penitentiary, commonly known as Parchman Farm. He wrote about his experience there in "Parchman Farm Blues", which was released in 1940.

He served in the US Navy from 1942 to 1944, after which he settled in Memphis, Tennessee, and worked outside music. Bob Dylan covered his song "Fixin' to Die Blues", which aided a "rediscovery" of White in 1963 by guitarist John Fahey and Ed Denson, which propelled him into the folk music revival of the 1960s. White had recorded the song simply because his other songs had not particularly impressed the Victor record producer. It was a studio composition of which White had thought little until it re-emerged thirty years later.

"Parchman Farm Blues" was about the Mississippi State Penitentiary.
Fahey and Denson found White easily enough: Fahey wrote a letter to White and addressed it to "Bukka White (Old Blues Singer), c/o General Delivery, Aberdeen, Mississippi"—presuming, given White's song "Aberdeen, Mississippi", that White still lived there or nearby. The postcard was forwarded to Memphis, where White worked in a tank factory. Fahey and Denson soon traveled there to meet him, and White and Fahey remained friends for the rest of White's life. He recorded a new album for Denson and Fahey's Takoma Records, and Denson became his manager. White was at one time also managed by Arne Brogger, an experienced manager of blues musicians.
Later in his life, White was friends with musician Furry Lewis. The two were recorded (mostly in Lewis's Memphis apartment) by Bob West for an album, Furry Lewis, Bukka White & Friends: Party! At Home, released on the Arcola label.

White died of cancer in February 1977, at the age of 70, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jimmy Preston

 

James Alfred Smith Preston was an American R&B bandleader, alto saxophonist, drummer and singer who made an important contribution to early rock and roll.

Preston was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, and formed his own group in 1945. His first R&B top ten hit was with "Hucklebuck Daddy" in 1949, recorded for Philadelphia's Gotham Records. His main claim to fame was to record, as Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians, the original version of "Rock the Joint" for Gotham in 1949. The sax breaks on "Rock the Joint" were the work of tenor player Danny Turner (1920–1995). "Rock the Joint" was re-recorded by Jimmy Cavallo in 1951, and Bill Haley and the Saddlemen in 1952.

In 1950, tenor saxophone player Benny Golson and pianist Billy Gaines were added to his new line-up and recorded songs like "Early Morning Blues" and "Hayride". Preston moved to Derby Records and had a final R&B hit with a cover of Louis Prima’s "Oh Babe".

Preston gave up playing music in 1952, but as Reverend Dr. James S. Preston, he founded the Victory Baptist Church in 1962. He died in Philadelphia in 1984, aged 71.

 

Targetspot

 

Targetspot is a global AdTech company pioneer in digital audio advertising and marketing solutions that connect brands with their target audience through a premium portfolio of publishers across all dimensions of digital audio. 

Targetspot inserts publicity on worldwide radio stations and other media.

Thanks to a proprietary set of technologies, it provides convenient end-to-end integration between brands and publishers for direct and programmatic advertising, lasersharp cookieless targeting, and advanced attribution. 

www.targetspot.com