How did lead belly get his name
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Huddie Ledbetter
Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, was one of the most powerful figures in the early years of the American folkmusic movement. He wasn't tall or muscular, but his steel-wire energy as a "cotton-chopper" gave him the nickname he bore most of his life. His performances radiated an overwhelming intensity that few artists have ever matched. His recordings were instrumental in the creation of Britain's Skiffle movement, which produced the Beatles and many of the other rhythm and blues artists.
He was born Huddie William Ledbetter on Jeder Plantation, a farm in Mooringsport, Louisiana. His birth date has been variously listed as January 20, 1889, January 21, 1885, or January 29, 1885. During his early years, his family appears lived in a number of locations in western Louisiana and eastern Texas. As a young man, Huddie Ledbetter mastered the 12 string guitar, which sounded in his hands like a small orchestra. He became known as "King of the 12 String Guitar", and formed a duo with the legendary blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson.
Leadbelly once
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Lead Belly
American folk and blues musician (1888–1949)
"Leadbelly" redirects here. For the biographical film on this person, see Leadbelly (film).
Musical artist
Huddie William Ledbetter (HYOO-dee; January 1888[1][2] or 1889[3] – December 6, 1949),[1] 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" (also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"), "Pick a Bale of Cotton", "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.[4] 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,
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Lead Belly
Home » Jazz Musicians » Lead Belly
More than any other black folk-blues artist of his time Leadbelly helped expose his race's vast musical riches to white America, and, in the process, helped preserve a folk legacy that has become a significant part of the nation's musical treasury. He was not a blues singer in the traditional sense; he also sang spirituals, pop, field and prison hollers, cowboy and childrens songs, dance tunes and folk ballads, and of course his own topical compositions. It has been said his repertoire was at least 500 songs.
He never saw any commercial success during his lifetime. Not until after his death did a broader public come to know his songs and the amazing story of his life. Huddie William Ledbetter was born on January 29, 1889 on the Jeter Plantation near Mooringsport, Louisiana. He was the only child of sharecropper parents Wesley and Sally. Huddie and his parents moved to Leigh, Texas when he was five and it was there that he became interested in music, encouraged by his uncle Terrell who bought Huddie h
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