Furry's Blues

Born in Greenwod, Mississippi in 1893, Furry was one of the earliest bluesmen. His family moved to Memphis when he was 8. While there, he learned to play guitar from a man he simply knew as "Blind Joe." By 1908 he was playing shows with WC Handy. He cut his first records in 1927 but by the time of the depression he was working as a street sweeper. While not sweeping the streets he played them. His outdated style lead him to be forgotten until the blues revival of the 1960s. Joni Mitchell wrote "Furry Sings the Blues" about him for her 1976 album, Hejira. He died in Memphis at the age of 88.