According to the Music journalist Jason Ankeny, "they had emerged among the most complementary duos in all of the blues, with Sane's flatpicking ideally embellished by Stokes' fluid rhythms.
[4] There is uncertainty over his date of birth; most sources state September 22, 1896, but the researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc suggest October 23, 1892, or perhaps 1890.
He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and played in Will Batts's string band,[1] before meeting the guitar player Frank Stokes.
[4] During the 1920s the pair performed as a duo, billed as the Beale Street Sheiks, and played in white venues, including country clubs, parties and dances, as members of Jack Kelly's Jug Busters.
[1] In 1933, Sane recorded with the singer and guitarist Jack Kelly (1905–1953) and the fiddler Will Batts (1904–1956), as the South Memphis Jug Band.