Lead Belly
Huddie William Ledbetter (/ˈhjuːdi/; January 1888 or 1889 – 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 | |
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Lead Belly with a melodeon c. 1942 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Huddie William Ledbetter |
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| Born | January 23, 1888 (disputed) Mooringsport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 6, 1949 (aged 61) New York City, U.S. |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician |
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| Years active | 1903–1949 |
| Labels | RCA Victor, Asch, Capitol |
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.