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 - Released by SAGA on 7 Mar 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Take This Hammer - The Complete RCA Victor Recordings - When The Sun Goes Down Series
Blues - Released by RCA Bluebird on 1 Jan 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legend of Leadbelly
Blues - Released by Tradition Records on 6 Nov 1970
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Folk - Released by Cleopatra Records on 2 May 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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LEADBELLY: Rock Island Line (1935-1941)
Blues - Released by Naxos on 1 Jan 1951
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
King Of The Twelve-String Guitar
Blues - Released by Columbia on 10 Sep 1991
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Blue Archive: Diggin' My Potatoes
Blues - Released by SPV on 13 Jul 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Leadbelly
Blues - Released by Saar srl on 10 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Definitive Leadbelly
Blues - Released by Proper Box on 29 Mar 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leadbelly Vol. 1 1939-1940
Blues - Released by Document Records on 14 Jun 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Selected Sides 1934-1948 (Remastered)
Blues - Released by JSP Records on 10 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leadbelly Vol. 7 (1947-1949)
Blues - Released by Document Records on 27 Sep 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blues Best: Greatest Hits
Blues - Released by CLASSIC WORLD ENTERTAINMENT on 23 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Includes Legendary Performances Never Before Released
Blues - Released by Columbia on 27 Sep 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Greatest Recordings)
Blues - Released by Werner Last's Favourites Jazz on 1 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best of Leadbelly
Blues - Released by X5 Music Group on 2 May 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leadbelly Vol. 2 1940-1943
Blues - Released by Document Records on 14 Jun 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo