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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZLaBEEF, Sleepy(b Thomas Paulsley LaBeff, 20 July 1935, Smackover AR; d 26 December 2019, Siloam Springs AR) Rockabilly guitarist and deep-voiced singer. The family name was originally LaBoeuf; he was the last of ten children in a farming family, and was nicknamed at school for his droopy eyelids. He sang in church, heard hillbilly music and R&B on the radio, traded a rifle for a guitar at 14 and was one of those not astonished by Elvis Presley: '...I knew exactly where he was coming from.' He went to Houston, later Nashville, working as a surveyor, singing informally in gospel groups; made records of current hits for Pappy Daily, who sold them over the radio; recorded for Daily's Starday label '56-8, Columbia '59, smaller labels. He made the lower reaches of Billboard country chart with 'Every Day' '68 on Columbia, 'Black Land Farmer' '71 on Shelby Singleton's Plantation label; he was the only performer left on Sun when Singleton bought it from Sam Phillips. Meanwhile he appeared in a low-budget movie called The exotic Ones, aka The Monster and the Stripper, playing the monster (he was 6.5 feet tall).
His live appearances were good value; for many years he played 200-300 shows a year, a seasoned performer who could throw anything from Muddy Waters to straight country into a set and never left an audience dissatisfied. He knew thousands of songs, and said he didn't know how he did it: he would 'listen to a song twice on the jukebox, and I'd have it." He never got much promotion or luck but was widely appreciated in Europe. There was a CD of 35 tracks from Sun called Sleepy Rocks and a 6-CD set called Larger Than Life (2007) compiling all the Sun stuff, both on the German Bear Family label. He was an impressive guest on Hank Wangford's A To Z Of Country Music on UK Channel 4 TV '87. His original albums included Bull's Night Out, Downhome Rockabilly and Western Gold on Sun, then excellent It Ain't What You Eat It's The Way How You Chew It '80 (with old friends like drummer D.J. Fontana, pianist Earl Poole Ball on some tracks) and Electricity '82, then live Nothin' But The Truth '87, made at his regular venue, Harpers Ferry in Allston MA, flawed by too many similar tempos and his voice too far back in the mix. Strange Things Happening '94 was followed by I'll Never Lay My Guitar Down '96, all on Rounder. There is a good profile in Peter Guralnick's Lost Highway '79. |