Working Man Blues 19291952

Recognisable by his plaintive, crying, singing style and broken voice, Sleepy John Estes was one of the great Country Blues pioneers. Estes recorded a memorable body of work, much of it during the 1930s, which earned him a mighty reputation, always retaining a traditional, down-home sound despite recording variously in Memphis, Chicago and New York. His songs, lyrically, were sharply observed vignettes, often dealing with social commentary. And although he was little more than an adequate rhythmic guitarist himself, he recorded extensively with men like guitarist/mandolin player Yank Rachell, and harmonica player Hammie Nixon. This 2-CD set ranges from his first session in 1929, to an unreleased session at Sun Records in 1952. Estes has been namechecked as an important early influence by Bob Dylan and Led Zepp's Robert Plant.