A Conversation with Sleepy LaBeef

Playing bass on the road with Rockabilly, Country, Blues and Americana artist Sleepy LaBeef was my first job after I moved to Nashville in October of 1977. He was a one of a kind versatile guitarist and singer known to many as "The Human Jukebox" due to his huge musical repertoire and wide stylistic range. What I learned from him in a year on the road was a big leap forward and a great preparation for freelance Nashville work. He taught me to be aware of my musical surroundings and be ready for anything. We stayed close over the years, and still played together periodically when Sleepy would come through Music City. In 2012, my son Seth and I made a documentary film called “Sleepy LaBeef Rides Again,” which debuted at the Nashville and Little Rock Film Festivals in 2013 and is available at www.davepomeroy.com. Sleepy is very modest, and during the entire course of making the documentary I never could convince him to sit down and talk about himself, especially in front of a camera. So… in April of 2018, Sleepy came to town to do some recording, and he and his wife Linda stopped by my house on their way out of town. Somehow, I was able to talk him into sitting down for an informal conversation with me. We sat down and talked for 30 minutes about a wide variety of things, including his musical roots and influences, experiences in the business, countless gigs over his 50 plus years on the road, and much more, including how he got that unique name. Sleepy passed away in December 2019, and will be greatly missed. Rest in Peace, Sleepy, you’ve earned it!