Leadbelly

Leadbelly (born Huddie William Ledbetter; January 29, 1885 – December 6, 1949) was an American folk musician, notable for his high, clear voice, for his forceful singing, and for his virtuosity as a twelve string guitar player.

Selected Discography

The Library of Congress recordings

Leadbelly's complete Library of Congress recordings, done by John and Alan Lomax from 1934 to 1943, were released in a six volume series by Rounder Records in the early-to-mid 1990s:

Related Topics:
Library of Congress - John - Alan Lomax - 1934 - 1943 - Rounder Records - 1990s

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Midnight Special (1991, Rounder Records)
• Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In (1991, Rounder Records)
• Let It Shine on Me (1991, Rounder Records)
• The Titanic (1994, Rounder Records)
• Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen (1994, Rounder Records)
• Go Down Old Hannah (1995, Rounder Records)

Other compilations

• Huddie Ledbetter's Best (1989, BGO Records) - contains Leadbelly's recordings made for Capitol Records in 1944 in California.
• King of the 12-String Guitar (1991, Sony/ Legacy Records) - a collection of blues songs and prison ballads recorded in 1935 in New York City for the American Record Company, including previously unreleased alternate takes.
• Leadbelly's Last Sessions (1994, Smithsonian Folkways) - a four disc box set containing Leadbelly's final sessions, recorded in late 1948 in New York City. These were his only commercial recordings done on magnetic tape.
• Lead Belly Sings for Children (1999, Smithsonian Folkways) - includes the 1960 Folkways album Negro Folk Songs for Young People in its entirety, and five of the six tracks from the 1941 album Play Parties in Song and Dance as Sung by Lead Belly, recorded for Moe Asch, as well as other songs recorded for Asch from 1941 to 1948, and one previously unreleased track, a radio broadcast of "Take this Hammer."
• Private Party November 21, 1948 (2000, Document Records) - contains Leadbelly's intimate performance at a private party in late 1948 in Minneapolis.
• Take This Hammer (2003, Smithsonian Folkways) - collects all 26 songs Leadbelly recorded for RCA in 1940, half of which feature the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet.