Even before his rediscovery in 1959, Furry Lewis"s lofty place in Memphis blues history had been secured on the strength of a mere 23 songs recorded between 1927 and 1930. Lewis"s innovative guitar work and his pained vocals take center stage on these 14 recordings. Lewis shows terrific versatility on these sides: His incredible fingerpicking uses dramatic bass tones on "Jellyroll" and rolls banjo-style on "Mistreatin" Mamma." His high-pitched slide wails through "Why Don"t You Come Home." Lyrically, he was capable of both great wit and dark imagery ("I believe I"ll buy me a graveyard of my own/I"m gonna kill everybody that ever done wrong."). The Lewis staple "Kassie Jones (Parts 1 and 2)" is here, although his other classic, "John Henry," isn"t. --Marc Greilsamer