John Henry Barbee
b. 14 November 1905, Henning, Tenessee, USA. d. 3 November 1964, Chicago Illinios. Born William George Tucker, Barbee worked with John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson and Sunnyland Slimbefore assuming his new name when he left the south after a shooting incident. Barbee moved to Chicago, where he recorded a session for Vocalion Records on 8 September 1938. Only one coupling was released and made no impact on the record-buying public. Barbee continued to work on the streets in the company of such men as Moody Jones until drafted into the army in the early '40s. Rediscovered, he recorded for Victoria Spiveyin 1964 before joining the American Folk Blues Festival for its tour of Europe. This jaunt was cut short by illness and he returned to the USA only to be involved in a car crash. He was in jail as a result of this accident when he died of a heart attack.