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Sleepy LaBeef
LaBeef performing at the Memphis International Rockabilly Festival, August 2015
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Paulsley LaBeff
Also known as	Tommy LaBeff
Born	(1935-07-20)July 20, 1935 Smackover, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	December 26, 2019(2019-12-26) (aged 84) Siloam Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Genres	Rockabilly rock and roll blues gospel country
Occupation	Musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals Guitar
Years active	1954–2019
Labels	Starday, Columbia, Plantation, Sun, Charly, Rounder

Thomas Paulsley LaBeff (July 20, 1935 – December 26, 2019), known professionally as Sleepy LaBeef, was an American singer and musician.

Early life

LaBeef was born in Smackover, Arkansas, the youngest of 10 children. The family name was originally LaBoeuf. He was raised on a farm growing cotton and watermelons, and received the nickname "Sleepy" because he had a lazy eye.

LaBeef became a fan of George Jones, Bill Monroe, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. He learned guitar, and moved to Houston, Texas, when he was 18. There, he sang gospel music on local radio and put together a bar band to play venues as well as radio programs such as the Houston Jamboree and Louisiana Hayride. LaBeef stood 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall.

Career

In the 1950s, as the rockabilly component of rock and roll became evident, LaBeef began recording singles in the genre, initially credited as Sleepy LaBeff or Tommy LaBeff. His first, "I'm Through", was issued on Starday Records in 1957.

In 1964, he moved to Nashville and moved to a more solidly country style, recording singles for Columbia Records. His first genuine hit was 1968's "Every Day", which peaked at No. 73 on the U.S. Billboard Country chart. After moving to Plantation Records in 1969, he scored a second hit in 1971 with "Blackland Farmer", which charted at No. 67. He also played the role of the Swamp Thing in Ron Ormond's 1968 B-movie, The Exotic Ones (also known as The Monster and the Stripper).

LaBeef transferred to Sun Records in the 1970s and continued releasing albums and touring widely; his popularity faded in the United States but rose in Europe. The 1980s saw him sign to Rounder Records, where he released albums into the 1990s.

As a musician, he was noted for his extensive repertoire, and for his live performances, at one time undertaking some 300 performances a year. He described the music he performed as "...root music: old-time rock-and-roll, Southern gospel and hand-clapping music, black blues, Hank Williams-style country. We mix it up real good." He toured regularly in Europe, and performed at many music festivals both in Europe and the US. In January 2012, LaBeef traveled to Nashville to record and film a live concert and record in historic RCA Studio B, all produced by noted bassist Dave Pomeroy. A documentary/concert DVD, Sleepy LaBeef Rides Again and the soundtrack CD was released on April 22, 2013, by Earwave Records. His last performance was in September 2019.

He had heart bypass surgery in 2003. He died at his home in Siloam Springs, Arkansas on December 26, 2019, at age 84.

Discography

Singles

Albums

• 1974: The Bull’s Night Out
• 1976: Western Gold
• 1978: Rockabilly 1977 (Sun Records)
• 1978: Beefy Rockabilly
• 1979: Early, Rare and Rockin’ Sides
• 1979: Downhome Rockabilly (Sun Records)
• 1979: Downhome Rockabilly (Charly Records, UK)
• 1979: Rockabilly Heavyweight (with Dave Travis)
• 1979 "Sleepin' in Spain" (AUVI records, Spain)
• 1979: Sleepy LaBeef and Friends (Ace Records)
• 1979: Sleepy LaBeef and Friends (Ace-Chiswick Records)
• 1980: Early, Rare and Rockin’ Sides (re-release)
• 1980: Downhome Rockabilly (re-release)
• 1981: It Ain’t What You Eat, It's the Way How You Chew It (Rounder Records)
• 1982: Electricity (Rounder Records)
• 1987: Nothin’ But The Truth (Rounder Records)
• 1994: Strange Things Happen
• 1995: The Human Jukebox (Rounder Records)
• 1996: I’ll Never Lay My Guitar Down (Rounder Records)
• 1996: Larger Than Life (6 CD-Box, compilation)
• 1997: A Rockin’ Decade
• 1999: Flyin’ Saucer Rock’n’Roll: The Very Best Of Sleepy LaBeef
• 1999: The Bulls’s Ride Out & Western Gold
• 2000: Tomorrow Never Comes
• 2001: Rockabilly Blues
• 2001: Road Warrior
• 2003: Johnny's Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash (Northern Blues)
• 2008: Roots (Ponk Media)
• 2008: Sleepy Rocks (Bear Family anthology)
• 2012: Rides Again

References

1. ^ Willman, Chris (2019-12-26). "Sleepy LaBeef, Enduring Rockabilly Cult Hero, Dies at 84". Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
2. ^ "Spotlight: Sleepy LaBeef". The Wisconsin State Journal. January 13, 2000. Thomas Paulsey LaBeff was born in 1935 on a farm in Smackover, Ark....LaBeef (who got his nickname due to a lazy eye) said he felt his calling when he first saw Elvis Presley in his early days.
3. ^ "Sleepy LaBeef Returns". The Cincinnati Post. November 30, 2000. He is 66 years old, stands 6 feet 6 inches tall... He's the last of 10 children born to the LaBoeuf family of Smackover, Ark.
4. ^ "Sleepy LaBeef (1935–2019)", Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 27 December 2019
5. ^ Billboard Singles, Allmusic.com
6. Sleepy LaBeef at Allmusic
7. "Sleepy LaBeef Rides Again - DVD". Earwave Store. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
8. Genzlinger, Neil (29 December 2019). "Sleepy LaBeef, a Rockabilly Mainstay, is Dead at 84". The New York Times.
9. LaBeef does a version of "Frankie and Johnny", referred to as "Frankie's Man". The original song appears on the This Is Johnny Cash compilation album (Harmony, 1969; reissued 1973), among others.

External links

• Sleepy LaBeef at IMDb

• 1935 births
• 2019 deaths
• American rockabilly musicians
• American country singer-songwriters
• Singer-songwriters from Arkansas
• Starday Records artists
• Columbia Records artists
• Sun Records artists
• Charly Records artists
• Rounder Records artists
• SSS International artists
• People from Smackover, Arkansas
• Country musicians from Arkansas