Noah Lewis
b. 3 September 1895, Henning, Tennessee, USA, d. 7 February 1961, Ripley, Tennessee, USA. Lewis's ability to play two harmonicas at once, one with his nose, got him work on the travelling medicine shows, but his recorded music is notable more for its melancholy expressiveness than showmanship—a descriptive train imitation (Chickasaw Special) apart. He combined technical accomplishment with exceptional breath control and a very subtle, sensitive handling of emotional nuance, whether on his 1927 solos, leading his own jug band in 1930, or as a member of Cannon's Jug Stompers, with whom he recorded from 1928-30. His singing had the same emotional depth as his harmonica playing, most notably on Viola Lee Blues (recorded by the Grateful Dead in the '60s). Lewis lived in poverty, and died of gangrene as a consequence of frostbite.