16-Nov-14
He is best known as Lead Belly. Though many releases list him as “Leadbelly”, he himself wrote it as “Lead Belly”. This is also the spelling on his tombstone, as well as of the Lead Belly Foundation. In 1994 the Lead Belly Foundation contacted an authority on the history of popular music, Colin Larkin, editor of the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, to ask if the name “Leadbelly” could be altered to “Lead Belly” in the hope that other authors would follow suit and use the artist’s correct appellation.
Although Lead Belly usually played the twelve-string guitar, he could also play the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and accordion. In some of his recordings, such as in one of his versions of the folk ballad “John Hardy”, he performs on the accordion. In other recordings he sings while clapping his hands or stomping his foot.
The topics of Lead Belly’s music covered a wide range, including gospel; 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, the Scottsboro Boys, and Howard Hughes.
Lead Belly was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 in the “Early Influence” category. In 2008, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Lead Belly Exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum
On November 16, 2014, The GRAMMY Museum will open Lead Belly: A Musical Legacy to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of iconic Delta-Blues singer Huddie William Ledbetter, better known as “Lead Belly.” Located on the Museum’s third floor, this exhibit will offer visitors an in-depth look at his life and contributions he made to American Folk music and Blues. The museum will showcase a collection of documents and lyrics, along with his notorious Stella 12-string guitar provided by the Ledbetter family. The exhibit will run through May 2015.
On November 16 at 4:00pm, SS Jones and the New Ashgrove Players will perform the music of Lead Belly. 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (corner of Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street), in the L.A. LIVE district.