SAMMY LEWIS

Info Made By : BLACK CAT ROCABILLY EUROPE

Born 8 September 1932, Memphis, Tennessee

The productive and all too brief meeting between vocalist / harmonica player Sammy Lewis and guitarist Willie Johnson produced one of the best blues issued by Sun Records. In the eyes of many collectors and blues fans - including this writer - there is no finer blues side ever cut on Sun than "I Feel So Worried" (Sun 218). Even rockabilly fans who merely tolerate Sun blues are often fond of this record, owing in no small way to Willie Johnson's guitar style. Recorded on March 28, 1955, it was the only time that Lewis and Johnson recorded together. The flipside, So Long Baby Goodbye" is more conventional R&B. The third song from this session, "Gonna Leave You Baby", was obviously not issued by Sam Phillips because the harmonica and guitar are terribly out of tune with each other. Willie Johnson, who was born in Senatobia, Mississippi, on March 24, 1923, played with Howlin' Wolf as far back as 1942. He played on a number of Sun sessions before recording with Lewis. Soon afterwards he headed for Chicago to rejoin Wolf's band where he remained until 1961. Sammy Lewis continued working in Memphis after Johnson moved north, working with an assortment of bands. Lewis was influenced by Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter on his Sun recordings. He went on to cut sides for the West Memphis 8th Street label and was thought to have died until he was rediscovered in 1970, still playing in West Memphis.

"I Feel So Worried" was first reissued on the LP "The Blues Came Down From Memphis" (London HA-S 8265) in 1966. (I remember Mike Raven playing it on Radio 390). This LP was reissued on Charly 10033 in 1985 and on CD Charly 67 in 1987 (with eight extra tracks). Since then there have been several other reissues of "I Feel So Worried", on Charly (Big Bad Blues, CPCD 8100) and other labels.

This is the first recording I ever was ever on that was put to vinyl. It didn't sell too good in America but it sold like hotcakes in Europe. Sammy Lewis was long gone from his old days recording for Sun Records after Sam Phillips decided to dump Delta blues for Rockabilly and Howard invited him over to do a couple of recordings for 8th Street Records. Recorded at Mastercraft Recording Studio when they were located in West Memphis Arkansas on the back end of Craft's Record Shop. Dan Craft owned the record store while his brother Howard had the studio in the back. The studio was based around a custom hand wired tube powered Ampex 8-track built up from an original 2-track machine with individual recording amps by Howard himself, and an Ampex tube powered 2-track mix down deck. The console was an Audiotronics, the reverb was an original early sixties cream tolex Fender spring reverb that looked like an amp head sitting on the edge of the window looking out onto the floor of the studio. You've heard the old stories of how egg cartoning had been used in studios for acoustic insulating? Well that's what they had. Anyway on to the people involved. Sammy Lewis (vocals, mouth harp) Bo Pete (acoustic guitar), George Bradfute (electric guitars), Jim Monaghan (bass), Jon Wells (drums), Howard and James Craft (engineers).

Feel so Worried by Sammy Lewis from the album The Sun Blues Story

Released 2013-07-26 on One Day Music

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Sun Records is regarded as the birthplace of rock 'n' roll, but what is perhaps not as well-publicised is the record label's - and owner Sam Phillips' contribution to the blues scene. Credited with finding some of the biggest blues stars including B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf, this three-disc set chronicles the cream of Sun's crop, with songs from Willie Nix, Eddie Snow and Billy Love.

© 2013 One Day Music

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