according to researcher david evans, 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. two of patton’s later accompanists, tommy johnson and son house, both stated that patton "dogged every step" of sloan's.