Furry Lewis - "When I Lay My Burden Down"

Selected viewer comments from http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=CCqbKdnHZTs

2006

Nice performance for sure this gentlemen can rock thi stuff
-jipes

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Yeh! Furry rocks it right!
-Leondale

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furry lewis, the man's a legend
-miasm

2007

He plays slide guitar so freely, singing emotionally. It's just amazing.
-yosh95

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does anyone know where this video came from
-italiansteel

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It came from "Bottleneck Guitar Legends" a great DVD featuring Furry, Son House, Johnny Shines, Jesse Fuller, and others.
-haleyfan

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Thank the good Lord somebody found Furry in his old age to make some more recordings. He didn't even own a guitar when he was tracked down. All those years with a medicine show couldn't be erased. I just love my vinyl.
-ottobulut

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yeah im glad all those years sweeping sidewalks didnt slow him down
-rusty2246

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I laid my burden down when I saw this incredible blues man. I first heard of Furry Lewis from a set of playing cards by Robert Crumb called Heroes of the blues. Thank you.
-plusultra

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wow amazing way to play the guitar:p
-dhaeze

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I have noticed that almost all of the old time blues players choose a slider that allows them to bend their knuckle. I play that way too, when I slide.
-ThomasDeLello

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this guy is amazing he definately has a uniqueness to em which makes even the more better conventional guitarists start to get a little boring even though most of em can just blow you away just as much as Furry can do. R.I.P Mr. lewis you won't be forgotten as long as your music is around!
-floydian18

2008

That's the longest finger-slide (piece of pipe) I ever seen used to play guitar..
-Zepster77

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seems to work for him though :)
-mcpooch

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Cool man!This clip comes from a film called "Le Blues entre les dents" by Greek director Roviros Manthoulis.I don't know if you found it in there but anyone that's interested in this type of blues should see it and watch performances by Bukka White,Roosevelt Sykes,Robert Pete Williams and other famous bluesmen in rare footage
-spartakoss

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Never seen a guitar played like this. Wouldn't have thought you could break so many 'rules' & produce such pure magic. Thanks for posting it.
-jonno52

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Awesome!
-nrm333

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Amazing, I know he very rarely played with other musicians because his timing is off. There is footage of him playing with Tom Nix & Leon Russell, does anyone have that?
-badbrian1

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I doubt that it was because his timing was off.... it was just the old style, not a whole lot would play together on a regular basis. (With exceptions, before the film era, of course)

Furry was the man
-lostintheblues

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I love Furry..a true master of the blues,,,and unknown to alot ot people
-kurt18cobain

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Furry is a legend. Used to go to Peanuts Bar in Memphis in the early 70s and watch him nightly. Long as someone would buy him a beer, he'd play all night long. When he was a child, he made his first guitar out of a cigar box and went from there. There'll never be anyone as good as Furry although I am sure there are those who disagree. He does not play from the heart but from the soul.He learned to do that by traveling in the early 1900s traveling medicine shows in the southern mississippi delta.
-tthan43

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If this guy could play like that at 79years old there's hope for me yet.
-noazarkle

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This reminds me a lot of Charley Patton. Both the way he's playing the guitar by fretting notes over the top of the neck, "piano" style (something i've read CP did... the photo of him shows him fretting in that way) and, musically, the use of slide notes to finish vocal phrases are very reminiscent. :)
-thomo3107

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to be fair ALOT of blues music uses that slide singing style. I agree about the over the neck fretting part... but on most on most of his songs, patton would drum on the guitar, or so its believed by the sound he had. take a listen to Moon Going Down and you'll hear the thing i mean.
-jessupar

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2008

When they tell us that R&R was born from the Blues and Gospel, and we watch this brilliant gem, we KNOW it's true!!!
-JellyFishDad1

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there may be some as good as Furry, but I don't think there are any that are better
-cutbanksam

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I was raised in a small east texas town...about 20 miles from the birth place of Freddie King. singing those hyms in church brings back alot of memories i remember a few black folks singing thoes old songs and it struck my ear like nothing else.. i was drawn to that soulful sound and the blues from an early age

great footage...furry lewis is one of the often forgotten legands that created the music we call the blues
-bluez1981

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I know exactly what you mean about that music striking your ear. Been trying to play this stuff for 5 years now. What a high bar these guys set.
-wojo403

2009

( 3:12 ) Who's the guy taking a sip from a bottle and sticking it back in his pants pocket? Is that Bukka White? He's got a guitar and finger picks on.
-boriagi

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boriagi, you may want to search "Bukka White - Jelly Roll Blues" here in youtube :)

It's the same place!!

thanks to "la jefa"
-Sergiussssssssssssss

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The old blues like this is some of the best music ever recorded. It's when you hear music like this, you get a sense of humanity that only comes from God.
-fatcatbuzz

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To Fatcatbuzz

I agree about the music but I would say you get a sense of God that only comes from humanity...
-martifingers

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"All my trouble will be over..." 2:51, he points at the woman, ahahah.
-lobizoon1

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That is the greatest acoustic guitar performance. I've ever seen!!!
-frg8526

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Thanks to people like th elate Lee Baker, and an acoustic group called Crawpatch, I used to see Furry perform in the living rooms all the time in Memphis...he used to keep his guitar safe in pawn, so it had to be bought out of pawn for him to come perform.He also had only one leg, and was the most articulate expressive entertainer, very approachable, and attentive to what you had to say. Enjoyed Furry, and his tune my last name never been told
-MrBruceBarham

2010

Furry is doing what country blues players call - "making your guitar talk"!
-magie8898

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This old school delta blues always crushes my soul down into a little ball, educates it and then releases it back to the world. Whenever I listen to this or any soulful blues, I end up reassessing the word around me. I wish everyone on earth could feel the spirit and persistence of this music. If we did, I think the world might gain more perspective and get along better.
-fishman017

2011

@fishman017 Dude!!!...you are so freaking right, i mean whenever i listen to some inspired blues like this song i get the feeling that is GOD himself playing trough him (im not sure im explaining myself right)

I so wish more people could be expose to this kind of talent (and like you said) im sure we would get along better!!!

Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!
-BigDukeSixx67

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The reason the music is so painstaking was b/c of thehard times these people went through. Yes, the music is awesome but it came from a place you will hopefully never know. Oppression, slavery. tyranny and a life with practically nothing but your faith in God along with the hope of eventual freedom for yourself and your family spawned the heartwrenching music of the Blues.
-flowrpowrlovechild

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@flowrpowrlovechild I think you hit the nail right in the head i mean blues players really play from the heart and when you can connect your true feelings and your abilities as a musician together you will never go wrong, even though you might not be the most technical player in the world it wont matter cuz your soul will pour out of every single note you play even if its the wrong one!!!!

I so love this kind of music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-BigDukeSixx674 months ago

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Disliking this guy is going against the point of music, let alone the song. Furry Lewis is a hero among god's and so he shall remain one of the coolest live performers i've ever seen. ~Peace^Adam~
-FinestHD

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My daddy has been gone for 28 years. He used to bring home Furry Lewis records from the library when I was in 2nd grade & we would listen...to Odetta also. Those are the two musicians I actually remember from the 2nd grade. I now have a grandson in the 4th grade so they made a real strong impression on me! After seeing this all I can think of ...besides how great he is...is "I sure wish daddy could see this!" We had the records, but I sure wish daddy could see this! Thank you.
-MyMoppet52

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when you get right down to the bottom of it all, old-school blues will always remain. this man will be singing until the end of time.

glory, glory hallelujah

when I die lord, when I die.
-lordfoxglove