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Lead Belly
Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer, musician and songwriter notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced, including his renditions of "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 and topics including gospel music; blues about women, liquor, prison life, and racism; and folk songs about cowboys, prison, 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 himself wrote it as "Lead Belly", which is also the spelling on his tombstone and the spelling used by the Lead Belly Foundation.
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Albums by Lead BellySort:By AlbumA - Z
Masterworks [2018]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Midnight Special | 2:06 |
| Goodnight Irene | 2:33 |
| Rock Island Line | 3:15 |
| Shine on Me | 3:52 |
| Borrow Love Blues | 1:19 |
I've Got the Blues But I'm Too Damn Mean to Cry: Protest in Early Blues & Gospel [2016]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| The Bourgeois Blues | 5:36 |
Midnight Special [Soul Jam] [2016]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| The Midnight Special | 3:09 |
| Where Did You Sleep Last Night? | 3:03 |
| Alberta | 3:12 |
| Fannin Street | 2:37 |
| Good Morning Blues | 2:55 |
| Take This Hammer | 3:00 |
| Whoa Back, Buck | 3:07 |
| Red Cross Store Blues | 3:08 |
The Smithsonian Folkways Collection [2015]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Irene (Goodnight Irene) | 1:56 |
| Take This Hammer | 2:18 |
| Rock Island Line | 2:07 |
| Red Cross Store Blues | 3:12 |
| House Of The Rising Sun | 2:27 |
Selected Recordings 1934-1948, Vol. 2 [2014]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Irene, Pt. 1 | 4:50 |
| John Henry (A Cappella) | 4:33 |
| John Hardy | 3:43 |
| Bourgeois Blues | 4:04 |
All the Blues You Need [2013]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Midnight Special | 3:10 |
| Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out | 3:05 |
Blues Infusion, Vol. 1 (100 Essential Tracks) [2013]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Rock Island Line | 5:32 |
| Where Did You Sleep Last Night | 3:00 |
Blues Infusion, Vol. 5 (100 Essential Tracks) [2013]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Fannin Street | 2:54 |
| Good Morning Blues | 2:15 |
Bring Me a Little Water: Leadbelly Sings the Blues [2013]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Shorty George | 1:30 |
| Pick a Bale of Cotton | 1:44 |
| Rock Island Line | 2:21 |
| Grey Goose | 1:26 |
Britain Blues, Vol. 1: Skiffle, Folk, Rock 'n' Roll and Blues [2013]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Pick a Bale of Cotton | 3:01 |
The Blues Effect, Vol. 3: 100 Essential Tracks [2013]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Shorty George | 1:30 |
| John Hardy | 3:40 |
| CC Rider | 2:58 |
The Blues Effect: Leadbelly [2013]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Grey Goose | 1:26 |
| John Hardy | 3:40 |
| CC Rider | 2:58 |
| Take This Hammer | 2:55 |
| On a Monday | 2:13 |
| Goodnight Irene | 2:35 |
| Cotton Fields | 2:08 |
| House of the Rising Sun | 3:15 |
| Good Morning Blues | 2:15 |
| Rock Island Line | 2:39 |
| Laura | 1:39 |
All Time Greatest Blues Songs, Vol. 1 [2012]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out | 3:00 |
ABC of the Blues: The Ultimate Collection from the Delta to the Big Cities [2010]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Bourgeois Blues | 3:16 |
| Pick a Bale of Cotton | 3:01 |
The Legend of Leadbelly: Goodnight Irene [2010]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| The Bourgeois Blues | |
| Big Fat Woman | 1:20 |
| Whoa, Back, Buck! | 1:25 |
60th Anniversary Edition [2009]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Good Morning Blues | 2:09 |
| Laura | 1:39 |
| Whoa Back, Buck | 3:06 |
| John Henry | 3:11 |
| Boll Weevil | 3:22 |
| Grey Goose [DVD][Live] |
Leadbelly: Important Recordings 1934-1949, Pt. 3 [2006]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Sail on, Little Girl, Sail On | 3:17 |
| On a Monday | 1:47 |
Blues and Folk Singer [2005]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| The Bourgeois Blues | 3:25 |
| The Gallis Pole | 3:10 |
| (Goodnight) Irene | 2:35 |
| (Black Gal) Where Did You Sleep Last Night | 3:04 |
Leadbelly Arc & Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 2: 1935 [2005]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Midnight Special (133-A) | 3:28 |
Leadbelly Arc & Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 3: 1935 [2005]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Alabama Bound (49-B) | 5:03 |
Leadbelly, Vol. 5: 1939-1947 [2005]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Boll Weevil | 3:20 |
| Good Morning Blues | 2:51 |
| Rock Island Line | 2:30 |
| Stew Ball | 2:27 |
Take This Hammer [Snapper] [2004]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Midnight Special | 2:03 |
| Take This Hammer | 2:16 |
| Bourgeois Blues | 5:37 |
The Best of Leadbelly [2004] [2004]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Rock Island Line | 2:38 |
| Pick a Bale of Cotton | 3:04 |
| Alberta | 3:13 |
| Whoa, Back Buck | 3:09 |
The Story of the Blues [2004]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Black Snake Moan | 3:09 |
| Alabama Bound | 3:03 |
| Red Cross Store Blues | 3:07 |
| Irene | 1:50 |
American Roots Songbook: Blues from the Texas Byways [2003]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Where Did You Sleep Last Night | 3:02 |
Easy Rider [2003]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Fannin Street | 2:39 |
| Good Morning Blues | 2:53 |
| Where Did You Sleep Last Night? | 3:02 |
Definitive Leadbelly [2002]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Goodnight Irene | 1:53 |
| Bourgeois Blues | 5:36 |
| Stewball | 2:25 |
| Take This Hammer | 2:15 |
The Definitive Leadbelly [2002]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Fannin' Street | 3:26 |
| Pick a Bale of Cotton | 1:45 |
| Big Fat Woman | 1:11 |
| Red Cross Store Blues | 3:07 |
| Take This Hammer | 2:15 |
Say It Loud! A Celebration of Black Music in America [Box Set] [2001]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| The Midnight Special | 2:04 |
The Essential [2001]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Laura | 1:40 |
| Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Black Girl) | 3:00 |
| Gallis Pole | 2:51 |
Best of Blues [Madacy Box Set] [2000]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Where Did You Sleep Last Night? | 3:02 |
| The Bourgeois Blues | 3:02 |
Nothing But the Blues [Import] [2000]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| The Bourgeois Blues | 3:18 |
| Whoa Back Buck | 3:11 |
| Black Snake Moan | 3:14 |
| Alabama Bound | 3:06 |
Leadbelly, Vol. 1 [1999]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Midnight Special | 3:01 |
| John Hardy | 4:24 |
| The Gallis Pole | 3:04 |
| Big Fat Woman | 1:21 |
My Last Go Round [1999]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Midnight Special | 3:06 |
| Alberta | 3:11 |
| Goodnight Irene | 1:51 |
| Rock Island Line | 2:31 |
The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1-4 [1999]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet | 2:31 |
| Stewball | 3:26 |
The Original Folkways Recordings [1999]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Danville Girl, No. 2 | 3:22 |
| Michael, Row the Boat Ashore | 2:44 |
Bourgeois Blues: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 2 [1997]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Bourgeois Blues | 2:20 |
| John Henry | 2:27 |
| Careless Love | 2:59 |
| Skip to My Lou | 2:13 |
| John Hardy [#] | 2:43 |
Where Did You Sleep Last Night: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1 [1996]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Good Morning Blues | 2:26 |
| Where Did You Sleep Last Night? | 2:09 |
| Laura | 1:44 |
| Big Fat Woman | 1:13 |
American Folksay: Ballads and Dances, Vols. 1-4 [1995]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Alabama Bound | 2:18 |
| Midnight Special | 2:15 |
| Stewball | 2:30 |
Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1939-1940) [1995]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Pick a Bale of Cotton | 3:03 |
| Red Cross Store Blues | 3:08 |
| Sail on, Little Girl, Sail On | 3:18 |
| Alberta | 3:10 |
Go Down Old Hannah: The Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 6 [1995]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| How Long | 2:14 |
| John Hardy | 3:19 |
Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 4 (1944) [1994]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Keep Your Hands Off Her | 2:53 |
| Bourgeois Blues | 2:20 |
| Take This Hammer | 2:54 |
Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 5 (1944-1946) [1994]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| John Henry | 4:03 |
| Good Morning Blues | 2:55 |
| Rock Island Line | 2:34 |
| Midnight Special | 2:16 |
Golden Classics: Pt. 2 (Defense Blues) [1994]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Down in the Valley | 1:33 |
| Skip to My Lou | 1:30 |
| Boll Weevil | 2:35 |
Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen: The Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 5 [1994]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Shorty George | 5:03 |
| Rock Island Line | 1:20 |
Midnight Special: The Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 1 [1991]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Midnight Special | 3:08 |
| Take a Whiff on Me | 2:56 |
| Careless Love | 4:12 |
Folkways: The Original Vision [1988]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Pretty Boy Floyd | 2:56 |
| I Ain't Got No Home in This World Anymore | 2:40 |
| Cotton Fields | 2:10 |
| Bourgeois Blues | 2:21 |
Folkways: The Original Vision [Bonus Tracks] [1988]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| I Ain't Got No Home in This World Anymore | 2:48 |
Take This Hammer [Folkways] [1965]
| Song | Duration |
|---|---|
| Pick a Bale of Cotton | 1:52 |
| Take This Hammer | 1:44 |
| On a Monday | 2:09 |
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