From:   "Jean-Marc Pezet" 
Date:  Mon Sep 8, 2003  8:06 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You: Sammy Lewis
 
SAMMY LEWIS (By Dik de Heer) 

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.