Lewis was unique among bluesmen in the way he prepared his songs before a recording session in that he never improvised his lyrics on a particular theme in the studio. Then after I do [sic] that, I used to take it down to Johnson's Printing Shop and he'd typewrite it out for me. He was one of the rare Memphis musicians who used a bottleneck or pocketknife when he played, one reason he may have made the farfetched claim that he "invented" slide guitar.
Lewis' records apparently did not have high sales and Vocalion did not ask him to record in He cut his last 78s in the fall of , just before the Great Depression decimated the blues industry. After that last session he faded into the utter obscurity known only to the poor. He continued to work his street-cleaning job, and before long that was how his neighbors in Memphis knew him; his musical past was obliterated. He played his guitar for his own entertainment when he had one.
As often as not though, the instrument sat in the pawnshop, traded for money to buy a bottle. Shade's wife mentioned to Charters that Lewis lived in the same neighborhood and that she frequently met him working out on the street. Charters called around to some Memphis city departments and eventually found Lewis. Shortly afterwards he was in Furry's small furnished room, listening to the long-lost bluesman play "John Henry.
Lewis began making records again almost immediately. Charters recorded him first in February and October , and the result, songs and story telling, was released by Folkways on Furry Lewis Blues. In he signed a contract for two albums with Prestige Records. Recorded at the Sun Studios in Memphis, and like in the s Lewis had to take time off from his street cleaning job, or go to the studio after work. Finding Lewis inspired Charters to make his film, The Blues.
Many artists passed through the clubs along the strip to find fame. Furry cut his teeth on these performances, along with shows at local fish fries, dances, and house parties. His innate storytelling ability and laid back simplicity spoke to every audience, charming both black and white audiences.
As a young man eager to see the world, Lewis joined Dr. During his time on the road, he encountered the playing of guitarists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson and Memphis Minnie and built on his signature technique of playing the blues.
Furry often played slide guitar, but it was his distinct finger-style picking that would be emulated by blues purists for decades to come. In , Furry jumped a train, a popular mode of travel for black musicians, and was swept under the powerful machinery. The experience landed him with a month in a hospital and a peg leg to enhance his blues mystique.
As blues gigs dried up with the great depression, Furry Lewis took a steady job as a street sweeper in Memphis in Irony saw him sweeping the very streets he helped make popular. He retained the job until his retirement. Lewis gained notoriety as part of the Blues Revival, making some new recordings and performing as part of the Memphis Blues Caravan.
His recordings document the unique jackknife slide, his low string—high vocal harmony, and his use of the oral tradition of black American heroes. He died in Memphis on 14 September The loss of a leg did not prevent him from touring during the early s with the Dr. Like his contemporary Frank Stokes, he tired of the road and took a permanent job in His position as a street sweeper for the City of Memphis, a job he would hold until his retirement in , allowed him to remain active in the Memphis music scene.
In , Lewis cut his first records in Chicago for the Vocalion label. He again recorded for Vocalion in Memphis in The recordings from these dates exhibit a nimble, clean, and versatile picking style that provides an excellent counterpoint to his complex verses. Several of his recordings notably "Judge Harsh Blues" and "Cannonball Blues" display Lewis's bottleneck slide playing, a style in which he was proficient but not a master.
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