Henry Sloan

Henry Sloan (January 1870 – possibly March 13, 1948)[1] was an American musician, one of the earliest figures in the history of Delta Blues. Very little is known for certain about his life, other than he tutored Charlie Patton in the ways of the blues.[2] There have been suggestions that he moved to Chicago shortly after World War I.[3] He left no recordings.[4]

For the politician, see Henry Clay Sloan.
Henry Sloan
BornJanuary 1870
Hinds County, Mississippi, United States
DiedMarch 13, 1948
Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States
GenresDelta blues, country blues
InstrumentsGuitar
Associated actsCharlie Patton

According to researcher David Evans,[5] Sloan was born in Mississippi in 1870, and by 1900 was living in the same community as the Patton and Chatmon families near Bolton, Mississippi. He moved to the Dockery Plantation near Ruleville about the same time as the Pattons, between 1901 and 1904. Patton received some direct instruction from Sloan, and played with him for several years.[4] Two of Patton’s later accompanists, Tommy Johnson and Son House, both stated that Patton "dogged every step" of Sloan's.[3][6]

Further research based on Census records has suggested that, in 1920, Sloan and his family were living around West Memphis, Arkansas. He may have been the Henry Sloan whose death, aged 78, occurred in Crittenden County on March 13, 1948.

References
  1. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 212. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  2. Robert Palmer. Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
  3. Robert Palmer. Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
  4. "Henry Sloan". Thebluestrail.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  5. "Charley Patton Biography (part 1) - Dr. David Evans : : ParamountsHome". 28 September 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-08-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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