Kassie Jones

Walter "Furry" Lewis was a fixture on the Memphis medicine show circuit, and in August 1928, Victor Records captured his unique, syncopated guitar style. "Kassie Jones" was his two-part, highly localized adaptation of the traditional ballad of Casey Jones, the legendary engineer who died in a 1900 train wreck. Lewis played entirely alone, providing a heavy, chugging rhythm and singing the narrative with a high, clear tenor. Instead of a straightforward retelling, he infused the song with floating blues verses and incredible instrumental complexity, demonstrating the massive overlap between white Appalachian folk and Black Delta traditions.