Furry Lewis (March 6, 1899 - September 14, 1981) was a blues guitarist from… Read Full Bio ↴Furry Lewis (March 6, 1899 - September 14, 1981) was a blues guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He was one of the first of the old-time blues musicians of the 1920s to be brought out of retirement by the folk blues revival of the 1960s.

Furry's style of blues was in many ways typical of the songsters who operated in and around Memphis in the 1920s, for whom the value of a song was the story it told, and who tended to back their words with hypnotic repetitive riffs and subtle slide guitars. Furry Lewis's soft voice and quick slide work were particularly effective in this style. He recorded many successful records in the late '20s including "Kassie Jones",Billy Lyons, Stack-O-Lee and Judge Harsh Blues (later called Good morning judge).

This success was limited to the race records of the time, cheap sides by black musicians for black customers. Furry received neither fame nor fortune for his efforts. In 1962, however, he was recorded by the folklorist Adrian Mitchell and his fortunes began to pick up. Before he died in 1981 Furry opened twice for the Rolling Stones, played on Johnny Carson's Tonight show and had a part in a Burt Reynolds movie, some justice for this great player of the blues and his inimitable slide guitar style.

Joni Mitchell's song, "Furry Sings the Blues" (on her Hejira album), is about Lewis. According to Wikipedia, Lewis despised the Mitchell song and demanded she pay him royalties.

I Will Turn Your Money Green
Furry Lewis Lyrics

When I was in Missouri
Would not let me be
Wouldn't rest content
'Till I came to Tennessee

If you follow me baby
I'll turn your money green
I show you more money
Rockerfeller ever seen

If the river was whiskey
Baby and I was a duck
I'd dive to the bottom
Lord and I'd never come up

Lord the woman I hate
I see her every day
But the woman I love
She's so far away

Talk about *sweetheart*
I declare I'm a honest man
Give my woman so many dollars
It broke her apron string

All she give me was trouble
I'm troubled all the time
I been troubled so long
Trouble don't worry my mind

I been down so long
It seem like up to me
Woman I love
She done quit poor me

What's the need of me hollering
What's the need of me crying
Woman I love
She don't pay me no mind

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing

Written by: FURRY LEWIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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