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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Discography
20 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Take This Hammer - The Complete RCA Victor Recordings - When The Sun Goes Down Series
Blues - Released by RCA Bluebird on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legend of Leadbelly
Blues - Released by Tradition Records on Nov 6, 1970
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Folk - Released by Cleopatra Records on May 2, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tradition Masters Series
Blues - Released by Everest Records on May 7, 1959
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Blue Archive: Diggin' My Potatoes
Blues - Released by SPV on Jul 13, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Leadbelly
Blues - Released by Saar srl on Aug 10, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blues Best: Greatest Hits
Blues - Released by CLASSIC WORLD ENTERTAINMENT on Nov 23, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Includes Legendary Performances Never Before Released
Blues - Released by Columbia on Sep 27, 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best of Leadbelly
Blues - Released by X5 Music Group on May 2, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legendary Leadbelly
Blues - Released by Olympic Records on Apr 20, 1973
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Good Morning Blues
Blues - Released by X5 Music Group on Feb 1, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Leadbelly Legacy, Vol. 1: Protests, Penitentiaries, Spirituals and Ballads
Blues - Released by Mach60 Music on Nov 12, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
At New York Town Hall 1947
Jazz - Released by American Music on Dec 5, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legend of Leadbelly
Blues - Released by Tradition Records on Oct 13, 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Midnight Special
Blues - Released by Milestones Records on Jul 16, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Good Night Irene
Blues - Released by Milestones Records on Jul 19, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Good Morning Blues
Blues - Released by Milestones Records on Dec 23, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Song
Christmas Music - Released by Milestones Records on Oct 23, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo