Leadbelly

Leadbelly

Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced, including his renditions of "In the Pines", "Goodnight, Irene", "Midnight Special", "Cotton Fields", and "Boll Weevil". Lead Belly usually played a twelve-string guitar, but he also played the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and windjammer. In some of his recordings, he sang while clapping his hands or stomping his foot. Lead Belly's songs covered a wide range of genres, including gospel music, blues, and folk music, as well as a number of topics, including women, liquor, prison life, racism, cowboys, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. He also wrote songs about people in the news, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Jean Harlow, Jack Johnson, the Scottsboro Boys and Howard Hughes. Lead Belly was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Though many releases credit him as "Leadbelly", he wrote his name as "Lead Belly". This is the spelling on his tombstone and is used by the Lead Belly Foundation.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 29, 1885 (Louisiana), Died December 6, 1949 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1940 - 1943

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, guitar, songwriter

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 28 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Victor	BS-051295	10-in.	6/14/1940	Pick a bale of cotton	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and guitar	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-051296	10-in.	6/14/1940	Yellow gal	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051297	10-in.	6/14/1940	Whoa, back buck	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051298	10-in.	6/14/1940	The Midnight Special	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and guitar	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-051299	10-in.	6/14/1940	Alabama bound	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and guitar	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-051322	10-in.	6/17/1940	Easy rider	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051323	10-in.	6/17/1940	New York City	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051324	10-in.	6/17/1940	Worried blues	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051325	10-in.	6/17/1940	Don't you love your daddy no more?	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051326	10-in.	6/17/1940	You can't lose-a me, Cholly	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051327	10-in.	6/17/1940	Grey goose	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet	vocalist
Victor	BS-051328	10-in.	6/17/1940	Didn' Ol John cross the water	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet	vocalist
Victor	BS-051329	10-in.	6/17/1940	Stewball	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and guitar	instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist
Victor	BS-051330	10-in.	6/17/1940	Take this hammer	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet	vocalist
Victor	BS-051331	10-in.	6/17/1940	Can't you line 'em	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051332	10-in.	6/17/1940	Julienne Johnson	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051333	10-in.	6/17/1940	Ham an' eggs	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet	vocalist
Victor	BS-051500	10-in.	6/14/1940	Rock Island Line	Golden Gate Quartet ; Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet	vocalist
Victor	BS-051501	10-in.	6/15/1940	Good morning blues	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051502	10-in.	6/15/1940	Leaving blues	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051503	10-in.	6/15/1940	T. B. blues	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051504	10-in.	6/15/1940	The Red Cross Store blues	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051505	10-in.	6/15/1940	Sail on, little girl, sail on	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051506	10-in.	6/15/1940	Roberta	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar
Victor	BS-051507	10-in.	6/15/1940	Alberta	Leadbelly	Male vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar

(Results 1-25 of 28 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Leadbelly," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102558.

Leadbelly. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102558.

"Leadbelly." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.