Saturday 10 May 20205, 16:00 CET – Moanin’ the Blues.
Blues singer/guitarist Walter “Furry” Lewis (ca. 1893/1899? – 1981) emerged in the 1920s and he made his first recordings during that period. The 1930s were marked by the Great Depression, in which ‘everything’ collapsed, but a few decades later, during the Folk Blues Revival, Lewis resurfaced. In 1971, he gave a solo concert in New York that was recorded on the album: Live at the Gaslight at the Au Go Go.
Lewis began his public musical life at house parties and dances. He was a hit with audiences and started touring with medicine shows. After these shows he also performed in juke joints and speakeasies. In the difficult period from the 1930s onwards he earned a living as a garbage collector and street sweeper in Memphis. Then in the vibrant 1960s and 1970s the tide turned and he became a star during the Memphis Blues Revival. He made records, appeared in television shows, played roles in films and was the opening act for the Rolling Stones.
At the time of his solo concert in New York he was (approximately) 80 years old. Live at the Gaslight at the Au Go Go was not available for a long time after it was released, but was re-released a few years ago.
Lewis opens with Paer Lee. As a guitarist Lewis was a master of the sliding technique. He uses it as a ‘second voice’, as an expressive musical commentary on the text. Low open strings provide the accompaniment. The fact that the strings are slightly out of tune doesn’t seem to bother him. There’s one root note, and no chord changes.
My Dog Got The Measles does have chord changes, and a different kind of guitar accompaniment.
The complete playlist can be found here.
Moanin’ the Blues – Hans Vergeer
