Leadbelly - Important Recordings 1934-1949

Leadbelly

Huddie Ledbetter was a man so full of life he seemed immortal. His was one of the loudest voices on record and his playing of the twelve-string guitar belied his physical strength. As he reached his teens, he took up working his father's land. From an early age, he could play accordion, harmonica, piano, guitar, and if these weren't available, he'd holler field songs. By fifteen, he was a regular entertainer. In 1908 he married and two years later the couple were in Dallas. Huddie met Blind Lemon Jefferson, something he'd celebrate in music. He also got his first twelve-string guitar. His first brush with the law was in 1915, when he was convicted of 'carrying a pistol'. The sentence was 30 days on the chain gang. Huddie escaped and made his way to New Orleans. Two years later he was convicted of the shooting of a Will Stafford. He was prolific. He amassed a huge repertoire of work that would be documented by the Library of Congress. Thus began a series of stays in prison - and reprieves, as partly documented in Governor O.K. Allen - which is why the Lomaxes found him in Angola in July 1933. He worked for years on prison gangs. He needed strength to survive and he survived better than most. His power is evident in recordings such as the extended Leaving On The Morning Train Blues, here for the first time on CD. Music was a ticket out of jail for Leadbelly. He became the Lomax's driver, making recordings as they travelled through the South. The most comprehensive sessions took place in New York. Best was a session on Boxing Day 1938, at which Leaving On The Morning Train Blues was cut, and a scathing version of Bourgeois Blues. This song is based on a visit to Washington, DC with his wife along with Mr & Mrs Alan Lomax, and the racial tensions they encountered from all. Our compilation ends with Shine On Me, taken from his last major concert at the University of Texas in 1949. A month later he died in New York. His legacy is invaluable.

Price: $47.98