Leadbelly
A key figure in the history of American music, Huddie Ledbetter was one of the great voices of the folk tradition, telling stories of cotton picking, slavery and the travails of the South and leaving a lasting influence on the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Kurt Cobain. Born on a plantation in Louisiana in 1888, he was taught guitar and accordion by his uncle at an early age, but became a social outcast when he fathered two children by the time he was 16 and set out on his own as a wandering minstrel and farm hand. Bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson became a travelling partner and huge influence, but Ledbetter found himself imprisoned in Houston, Texas after killing one of his relatives in a fight over a woman. He was pardoned and released in 1925 - supposedly because Governor Pat Morris was entranced by his powerful musical talent - but was again incarcerated after stabbing a white man. It was in the notorious Angola Prison Farm, Louisiana that he earned the nickname Lead Belly after surviving several attacks, before being discovered by folklorist John Lomax, who recorded him for the Library of Congress and organised his release in 1934. His fierce temper and wild drinking led to a bitter falling out with Lomax but, after another stint in jail, he was cared for by Lomax's son Alan (himself an important folklorist) and became the toast of the New York leftist folk movement, playing alongside the likes of Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee throughout the 1940s. His signature songs Goodnight Irene, Midnight Special, Pick A Bale Of Cotton and Rock Island Line became great standards of the folk movement and led to him becoming one of the first black American acts to tour Europe. He died from Lou Gehrig's disease in 1949, but his music went on to have a huge influence during the 1960s folk boom, skiffle and early rock'n'roll.
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Saga Blues: Blues & Folk Singer
Blues - Erschienen bei SAGA am 07.03.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Take This Hammer - The Complete RCA Victor Recordings - When The Sun Goes Down Series
Blues - Erschienen bei RCA Bluebird am 01.01.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legend of Leadbelly
Blues - Erschienen bei Tradition Records am 06.11.1970
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Folk - Erschienen bei Cleopatra Records am 02.05.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tradition Masters Series
Blues - Erschienen bei Everest Records am 07.05.1959
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
LEADBELLY: Rock Island Line (1935-1941)
Blues - Erschienen bei Naxos am 01.01.1951
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
King Of The Twelve-String Guitar
Blues - Erschienen bei Columbia am 10.09.1991
Qobuz’ Schallplattensammlung16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Blue Archive: Diggin' My Potatoes
Blues - Erschienen bei SPV am 13.07.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Leadbelly
Blues - Erschienen bei Saar srl am 10.08.2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Definitive Leadbelly
Blues - Erschienen bei Proper Box am 29.03.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Blues Collection: Leadbelly
Blues - Erschienen bei Tantrum Music am 07.02.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leadbelly Vol. 1 1939-1940
Blues - Erschienen bei Document Records am 14.06.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Definitive
Blues - Erschienen bei Snapper Music am 21.05.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Selected Sides 1934-1948 (Remastered)
Blues - Erschienen bei JSP Records am 10.03.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leadbelly Vol. 7 (1947-1949)
Blues - Erschienen bei Document Records am 27.09.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leadbelly
Blues - Erschienen bei Archive of Folk & Jazz Music am 09.09.1939
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues Best: Greatest Hits
Blues - Erschienen bei CLASSIC WORLD ENTERTAINMENT am 23.11.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Midnight Special
Blues - Erschienen bei Mojo Workin' am 09.11.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Greatest Recordings)
Blues - Erschienen bei Werner Last's Favourites Jazz am 01.01.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best of Leadbelly
Blues - Erschienen bei X5 Music Group am 02.05.2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leadbelly Vol. 2 1940-1943
Blues - Erschienen bei Document Records am 14.06.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo