Furry Lewis - Worried Blues LP

Lots of people have read Furrys historyhow he was born in Mississippi and made a cigar box guitar and hoboed freight trains and played on the streets of Memphis for years. But with all this, the half aint never been told. He was a Pandoras box of jokes, tricks, music, poetry; and he had the rare and priceless ability to realize their effect on his audience, be it his wife alone, or a thousand college kids. His art extends far beyond his ability as a musician. It became his very life. Every word had color, and every expression an obvious depth. And if it werent for that damn leg, every move might have meaningful grace. When he talked, it sounded like part of a super-hero novel into which everybody present was cast.Furrys guitar playing is a style unto itself, as is often said untruthfully about blues musicians. He sounds like Northern Mississippi and Southern Tennessee, with some Arkansas and Alabama thrown in. Whereas many, even among such greats as Robert Johnson and Big Bill, copied long and complete phrases from their mentors (Lonnie Johnson and Louis Lasky in this case), Furry seems to have come away with only those sounds and riffs he found most satisfying. Thus, his music is more steadily powerful and meaningful than much of the more intricate blues, without sacrifice, in the long run, of harmonic or rhythmic inventiveness. He took his time and he played it right.