Furry Lewis – Back On My Feet Again – Reissue/Remastered
This is a spare set, as the Mississippi-born Furry Lewis (vocals/guitar), who moved to Memphis at 7, plays the only instrument on this album. That’s what Memphis acoustic blues is all about, isn’t it? A lone individual with their spirituality coming through their voice. I came across the nimble-fingered acoustic & slide guitarist Furry Lewis the first time when he played (slide guitar/narrator) on some Don Nix songs in the early ‘70s (albums like “In God We Trust,” “Living By the Days,” “The Alabama State Troopers,” “Hobos, Heroes & Street Corner Clowns” among others).
The initial songs on this remastered reissue are all ear-tugging on Back On My Feet Again (Drops Aug 1/Craft-Concord/Prestige-Bluesville Recordings). Lewis’ voice has good clarity & his guitar is always pristine. Yes, the original recordings are primarily traditional. Recorded in April 1961 & captured well. By today’s standards, it may sound a little primitive. The remastering is superb on these cuts, though there’s a hint of surface noise because the originals were made on ’60s analog equipment by Bluesway/Prestige (not the label that was started later by ABC-Paramount Records).
Hard to believe Mr. Lewis was a forgotten artist between 1930-1960, but once his career got a jump start, he was the living embodiment of the Memphis acoustic blues for another 20 years. The irony is that Mr. Lewis is the only 1920s blues singer (his first recording was in 1927) to maintain acclaim into another era, 40 years later & gained major media attention. Furry was always regarded as one of the finest blues storytellers with effective guitar-voice interplay, with a non-flamboyant style of playing.
However, he was probably the first guitarist to play with the instrument behind his head – not Glen Campbell, not Jimi Hendrix. Furry seldom played with anyone since he played in awkward, loose bar structures. For the newly introduced, his most accessible blues on this set is “Back On My Feet Again.” It has a catchy guitar riff, some fancy guitar playing asides & Furry’s steely biting vocals. Great little tune.
More of a down-home blues is “White Lightnin’,” with a reference line from the Junior Parker (1956) lyrics in “Mystery Train” (as made famous by an early Elvis & Little Junior’s Blue Flames). This tune also has some distinguished acoustic picking. He’s one of the foundations of rock & roll when it was in its infancy — since many of these tunes were written in the 1920s & ‘30s. It helps to understand how something developed. He had the formula & owned one of the cradles, baby.
Highlights – “When My Baby Left Me,” “Shake ‘Em on Down,” “Back On My Feet Again,” “White Lightnin’,” & “St. Louis Blues.”
B&W images courtesy of Furry Lewis archive. CD @ Bandcamp & Amazon + https://craftrecordings.com/products/back-on-my-feet-again-bluesville-series-hi-res-digital-album