Noah Lewis

Born in Henning, Tennessee, on September 3 in either 1890 or 1895 according to varying accounts, singer and harpist Noah Lewis emerged as a prominent presence within the Memphis jug band scene during the 1920s. After moving to Memphis, he joined forces with Gus Cannon and played a vital role in Cannon's Jug Stompers, whose initial recordings appeared on the Paramount label in 1927, followed by additional sessions until their concluding session toward the end of 1930. During recordings made in the opening days of October 1929, Lewis launched his career under his own name by performing three intense harmonica solos along with "Going to Germany," a track that highlighted his mournful singing approach. He went on to record alongside Yank Rachell and John Estes, yet with the ongoing effects of the Depression he faded from view and endured severe financial hardship; gangrene resulting from frostbite led to his passing on February 7, 1961.