furry

My name is Furry Lewis and I is the hellhound! I ben layin low for a few years and I miss my music and my audience so I decided to join my space.I was born in Greenwood, Mississippi March 6,1899...Some say March 6, 1893. All I'll say bot dat is my first name was Furry and My second ain't never been told. I hadz to lie cuz my space don't go dat fur back. My family moved to Memphis...When iz 7 years old.This is what Memphis Looked like in 1910....When I was a kid I got da name fuzzy. I was tha only kid who had hair on his balls. First I was called..... Fuzzy then as I got to be a teenager they started callin me Furry..so they call me "Furry" ever since. The name stuck and I been known as Furry ever since. Actually my God given name is Walter Lewis...yuall can call me Furry All my friend call me Furry and You here so myou my friend....You could say my life and da blues grewn up tagether. Blues was part of Minstrel Shows Before it was the Blues. The people been singin Blues no matter what ya call it for long time . The Blues we know started in New Orleans and worked its way up the Mississippi, Delta Blues. Bout time it Got to Memphis I was Learnin the Guitar from Blind Joe. Some Call It Memphis Blues by the time I caught up wit it. Went further North ta Chicago and became Clicago Blues. Memphis Minnie played Chicago Blues. Clarenet or Piano . I recorded my phonograph records in Chicago. And while I was there toured some of the clubs and juke joints. It was probition and Chicago was One Totleing Town. Some of dem joints on the South Side Were Jumpin. Hell dem Clubs even had white people!...Imagine dat...White people...Black People all To gether Drinking singing laughing...Havin a real good time!! Imagine dat!!! White and Black all together ...but once they left dem Clubs dat was a totally nuther story!! You be in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time some Polak of Irish Mak crack your skull...and you might not get up....Imagine dat.when was feeling really good I'd Play some Rag. Was always just Me playin.Well in Memphis I lernt how to play the guitar from Blind Joe....Blind Joe taught me Casey Jones and John Henry...they wz my heros..I Recorded Casey Jones on the Victor Phonograph Company label and Casey Jones at the Vocalion Phonograph Company. At the age of 11 I wz playin at parties and Taverns...for a few nickles in the streets of Memphis . I loved performin and I'd play anywhere I could! I'd play for nickles and dimes in Handy Park....Sometimes I'd Play just to play.I even played for Mr Handy...W. C. Handy's orchestra, several times. Jim Jackson and his Jug Band.Played with Will Shade.I never like school and left home. So I caught a freight train and left Memphis...I wanted to be a hobo and play my guitar! I hoboed around the country till 1917...I waz catchin a freight and missed gettin on and got my leg cut off...It waz goin too fast and I never should have tried jumpin that one! I went back to Memphis and me and Jim Jackson and Gus Cannon started playin together. I workded alot of jook joints on Beale Street..I played what they call Bottleneck Guitar...or Slide Guitar. Her's a web Sight ifin Ya want Ta learn more bout Bottleneck.http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/bluesbottleneck. htmStarted wit Broken Beer Bottle...Dats why day call it Bottleneck. I used piece pipe. Day Make em Des days./( changes my o my...Pee Wee's is now the Hard Rock Cafe...Loarde Loarde)I got back on the road and did some touring with Dr. Lewis Medicine Show that was where I met Memphis Minnie./Me and Minnie was lovers...I shuda married that woman...too young and foolish ...NO syupid!! On the road sooo many womens......and I'LL always remember Bessie Smith.....How that woman could love a mAn ....ahh things she could do with her tougue drive a man wild. Womwns sooo..many womes sooo many years I gota know many...and I means know like the Bible says....All thems womens and only one I never could get inta my bed.... Shewa a beautiful gal...we was friends and all but hard as I tried I justa never could get her inta my bed....I remember one night big cellabration a everybobz drinkin ...drinkin hard ..I mean hard drinkin!!! Al wez called Alberta ..Al she was shit faced drunk that night and I tries Miss Alberta just ain't fallin for ol' Furry's lines and ol' Furry haz some good ones too!Well you hit the road long ol' road long enough nof and that ol' road hits ya back!! I went back to Menphis in 1922 and got a job...Good job too... I was a street sweeper for the City of Memphis!! I worked that job till I retired in 1966 at the age of 67.But I loved playin my guitar an my misic and played all round Memphis. Then in 1927 I went to Chicago...that ol' windy city...I was the only Blues Singer from the 1920 to get that media attention! Some said I was flamboient and baudy...shit I was just tryin to get my audiances listin...and fuckin all part of life... witout fuckin wont be no life! Some thought I was the best Blues story teller. /I was good but ther was better...peoples just never heard em!! I did RagTime too! I recorded six songs in October, 1927 at the Vocalion Phonograph Company in Chicago.That was my first phonograph record for the Victrola...Judge Harsh Blues...Cannonball Blues... I used my bottleneck slide playin my guitar...Some said... "my vocal range was limited"..but the peoples always like my lyrics. I always left my audiance wit a smile and that was most important to me!! The monies...shitte was never bout the monies..youall know monies cums and monies goes and all the monies in tha wol ant never gonna get you in Heaven... Jesus tol us that!! Well the Crash in29' put my phonograph recording to bed. Peoples dnt have no money for pohonograph records ...Shitte Peoples dnt have monies for FOOD! Thankx God I had a good job sweepin streets. But I still hada play my music..on Beale Street ...W. C. Handy Park I played them althrough the 30's and 40's. In 1960 ...what the show business peoples call it?....Made a comeback..ya that it. The young peoples like my.."expessive lyrics..dexterous playing (I always prided myself on crisp notes)and charismatic charm"..Them big words lets just say peoples like my songs. I even had a partin a moving picture..W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings.Me and Burt Reynolds Stared in it. I took my best girl on a date and we went to the miving picture theather...boom bigger that life there I was 12 feet tall on that theather screen...dat was sonthin! Dat Move started my career a second breathe. I toured with traveling rock group ensemble....The Alabama State Troopers. Joni Mitchell even wrote a song bout me ..."Furry Sings the Blues"....I was becoming a rock legend in the 70's.I died on September 14, 1981 in my beloved Memphis...Shitte dat ant gonna stop me from playin my music and singgin my songs...peoples like em!!!Home | Browse | Search | Invite | Film | Mail | Blog | Favorites | Forum | Groups | Events | Videos | Music | Comedy | Classifieds