Click on the title to link to YouTube's film clip of Sleepy John Estes performing "Drop Down Mama".
CD Review
The Legend Of Sleepy John Estes, Sleepy John Estes, Delmark, 1993
I have spent considerable time in this space detailing the musical careers of a number of old time, mainly black, country blues musicians, especially, like the artist under review Sleepy John Estes, those who were “discovered” during the folk revival of the 1960s. Not everyone got the publicity of those like Mississippi John Hurt, Son House and Skip James, but they at least got some well deserved notice on “discovery”. Or, really rediscovery because most of them, like Sleepy John, had careers back in the day. But you get the point.
That said, I have remarked elsewhere that some of these two career stalwarts also had two musical voices. I always like to bring up the example of Mississippi John Hurt. If you hear him (and you should do so) on a recording from the late 1920s like you can with “Spike Driver’s Blues” (his version of the traditional “John Henry”) on Harry Smith famous “Anthology of American Folk Music” where he is both dexterous on the guitar and velvety-voiced on the lyrics and melody and then check out a folk revival production where his guitar is still smoothly worked but his voice had become raspy (although very serviceable) you will see what I mean. The same holds true for Sleepy John. But here is the kicker. In both cases they still give us that very deeply-rooted passionate voice when telling, in song, the lives of woe they have led and the music they have made.
That said, as with Mississippi John the only question left is what are the stick outs you should pay special attention to. Here those include: “Divin’ Duck Blues,” the much-covered (and especially well-covered by Geoff Muldaur of the old Jim Kweskin Jug Band)“Drop Down Mama,” “Milk Cow Blues (also done in a very different style by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys),” and the mournful and heartfelt “I’ve Been Well Warned".
Drop Down Mama
Lyrics: Traditional
Music: Traditional
Drop down mama
Let your daddy see
You got something goin' down
That keeps on worryin' me
Chorus
But my mama don't allow me
To fool around
She's sayin' "Son you're too young now
Some woman might put you down"
Go away from my window
Stop scratchin' round my screen
You're so evil woman
And I know what you mean
[chorus]
I got three women livin'
On the same damn road
One does my cookin', one does my washin'
One pays my room and board
[chorus]
Drop down mama
Let your daddy see
You got something goin' down
That keeps worryin' me
[chorus]
Son you're too young now
Some woman might put you down
CD Review
The Legend Of Sleepy John Estes, Sleepy John Estes, Delmark, 1993
I have spent considerable time in this space detailing the musical careers of a number of old time, mainly black, country blues musicians, especially, like the artist under review Sleepy John Estes, those who were “discovered” during the folk revival of the 1960s. Not everyone got the publicity of those like Mississippi John Hurt, Son House and Skip James, but they at least got some well deserved notice on “discovery”. Or, really rediscovery because most of them, like Sleepy John, had careers back in the day. But you get the point.
That said, I have remarked elsewhere that some of these two career stalwarts also had two musical voices. I always like to bring up the example of Mississippi John Hurt. If you hear him (and you should do so) on a recording from the late 1920s like you can with “Spike Driver’s Blues” (his version of the traditional “John Henry”) on Harry Smith famous “Anthology of American Folk Music” where he is both dexterous on the guitar and velvety-voiced on the lyrics and melody and then check out a folk revival production where his guitar is still smoothly worked but his voice had become raspy (although very serviceable) you will see what I mean. The same holds true for Sleepy John. But here is the kicker. In both cases they still give us that very deeply-rooted passionate voice when telling, in song, the lives of woe they have led and the music they have made.
That said, as with Mississippi John the only question left is what are the stick outs you should pay special attention to. Here those include: “Divin’ Duck Blues,” the much-covered (and especially well-covered by Geoff Muldaur of the old Jim Kweskin Jug Band)“Drop Down Mama,” “Milk Cow Blues (also done in a very different style by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys),” and the mournful and heartfelt “I’ve Been Well Warned".
Drop Down Mama
Lyrics: Traditional
Music: Traditional
Drop down mama
Let your daddy see
You got something goin' down
That keeps on worryin' me
Chorus
But my mama don't allow me
To fool around
She's sayin' "Son you're too young now
Some woman might put you down"
Go away from my window
Stop scratchin' round my screen
You're so evil woman
And I know what you mean
[chorus]
I got three women livin'
On the same damn road
One does my cookin', one does my washin'
One pays my room and board
[chorus]
Drop down mama
Let your daddy see
You got something goin' down
That keeps worryin' me
[chorus]
Son you're too young now
Some woman might put you down
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