Representative Albums: "Sitting on Bottom of the World
Biography
A key figure on the Memphis jug band circuit of the 1920s, singer and harpist Noah Lewis was born September 3, 1895 in Henning, Tennessee. Upon relocating to Memphis, he teamed with Gus Cannon, becoming an essential component of Cannon's Jug Stompers; the group made their debut recordings for the Paramount label in 1927, with several more sessions to follow prior to their final date in late 1930. On a series of sides cut in the first week of October 1929, Lewis made his debut as a name artist, cutting three blistering harmonica solos as well as "Going to Germany," which spotlighted his plaintive vocal style. Later recording with Yank Rachell and John Estes, as the Depression wore on Lewis slipped into obscurity, living a life of extreme poverty; his death on February 7, 1961 was a result of gangrene brought on by frostbite. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Lewis was born in Henning, Tennessee, and raised in the vicinity of Ripley. He was noted for being able to blow two harmonicas at once – through his mouth and his nose. He played in local string bands and brass bands, and began playing in the Ripley and Memphis areas with Gus Cannon. When jug bands became popular in the mid-1920s, he joined Cannon's Jug Stompers and recorded for Victor Records in January 1928. The songs from that session included "Minglewood Blues", "Springdale Blues", and "Madison Rag". On a later recording with the Jug Stompers, "Viola Lee Blues", he sang lead vocal and played a melancholy harmonica solo.[1]
Death
He died in poverty of gangrene brought on by frostbite in Ripley, Tennessee, in 1961. Noah Lewis is buried in a cemetery near Nutbush, Tennessee.[2] After his death, several of his songs become part of the repertoire of the Grateful Dead, including "New, New Minglewood Blues", "Viola Lee Blues", and "Big Railroad Blues".
References
^ Barlow, William. "Looking Up At Down": The Emergence of Blues Culture. Temple University Press (1989), pp. 214-17. ISBN 0-87722-583-4.
^A History of Tennessee Arts, University of Tennessee Press.
Further reading
West, Carroll Van & Duncan Binnicker, Margaret (2004). A History of Tennessee Arts. Knoxville, TN: The University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-239-5.
Norris, Sharon (2000). Black America Series: Haywood County Tennessee. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-73850-605-2.
