Brownsville plans concert, tribute to Sleepy John Estes

Sleepy John Estes may have died in 1977, but his legacy remains one of the more intriguing in the history of the blues.

The Brownsville, Tenn., native was one of the first pre-World War II blues musicians to gain fame. Estes influenced nearly an entire generation of bluesmen, including Hammie Nixon, John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Homesick James and Big Bill Broonzy. It was the latter who helped create the mythical status the propelled Estes to legendary status.

Broonzy was asked in 1957 about Estes, and Broonzy said he had seen Estes years before. Broonzy called Estes extraordinary, but he was sure he was dead because he had to 20 years older than Broonzy. In fact, Estes was alive, but he had gone blind and was living in poverty. Delmark Records founder Bob Koester quickly arranged several appearances for Estes and released several new records, returning Estes to prominence in the blues community.

Now it is Brownsville's turn to honor Estes and give him a place of prominence in his community. The city of Brownsville purchased Estes' home and has had it restored and relocated to the public park next to the city library. On June 13 and 14, there will be dedication ceremonies and a concert honoring Estes' legacy.

Estes entertained hundreds, if not thousands, of people on his front porch, so the concert will be staged there as well. The list of performers includes Jim Dickinson, Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, Greg Hisky, Dave McKinzie, David Evans and the Last Chance Jug Band, Blind Mississippi Morris with Brad Webb, and Brownsville's own Jimmy Taylor and the Little Boys Blue.

The dedication and concert are free.

The ceremonies begin at 2:30 p.m. on June 14. The house is next to the library, which is located at 1011 E. Main St., at the intersection of Highways 76 and 70. On June 13, there will be a Blues Heritage Celebration in Nutbush's Wild Onion Ridge Music Heritage Park featuring a tribute to Estes by Big Lucky Carter and the Mighty Men of Sound. The part is located at 382 Willette Beard Road. The show goes from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children ages 5 to 17. Also on June 13 will be a Musical Heritage Bus Tour from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The cost is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 5 to 12. For more information on the bus tour, call Nutbush Heritage Productions at (901) 772-4265. All of the musicians performing at the tribute show either performed with or were influenced by Estes. Foremost among those is Dickinson, who has worked with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan to Estes. Dickinson played with Estes at the Memphis blues festivals in 1968 and '69, and recorded with Estes in 1971 along with Ry Cooder. They remained friends until Estes' death. Dickinson will be accompanied by his sons, Luther and Cody, and Hisky, a longtime fan of Estes. Rishell and Raines spent several years with Yank Rachell, Estes' lifelong friend and mandolin player. McKinzie traveled to Brownsville to meet Estes in 1972 and continued to visit whenever he was in the area performing. Evans performed for several years with Hammie Nixon, who accompanied Estes for several years.