Latest Release
- MAY 22, 2023
- 5 Songs
- Where Did You Sleep Last Night: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1 · 1996
- Folkways: The Original Vision · 1989
- Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection · 2015
- Lead Belly's Last Sessions · 1994
- The Acoustic Blues Box Set · 1939
- Midnight Special: The Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 1 (Recorded by Alan Lomax) · 1991
- Bourgeois Blues: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 2 · 1997
- Midnight Special - The Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 1 (Recorded by Alan Lomax) · 1991
- Good Night Irene · 1965
- Where Did You Sleep Last Night: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1 · 1989
Artist Playlists
- Blues shouts, folk energy, and proto-rock from an American icon.
- Intense wails and fevered strumming by rock and folk descendants.
- Political punch and satiric wit in the folk icon's topical songs.
Singles & EPs
Live Albums
- 2020
About Lead Belly
The embodiment of the link between folk and blues, Louisiana-born Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter) possessed a powerful voice and the creative fervor to fashion his observations and heartfelt passions into riveting songs. An itinerant singer/guitarist, he performed in between working odd jobs and spending time in prison for his violent outbursts. Twice he gained pardon from long prison sentences with his songs. After Lead Belly's second pardon, in 1934, the recordings folklorist Alan Lomax made of him brought the singer national success. Whether conscious of his influence or not, nearly all folk and blues singers can trace their musical lineage back to him. He's responsible for many songs that have become part of America's cultural heritage.
- HOMETOWN
- Mooringsport, LA, United States
- BORN
- January 20, 1888
- GENRE
- Blues