Track Listing

1. Goodnight Irene
2. Pick a Bale of Cotton
3. Good Morning Blues
4. Grey Goose
5. Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
6. Take This Hammer
7. On a Monday
8. Cotton Fields
9. Bring Me Li'l Water, Silvy
10. Moanin'
11. Laura
12. Duncan and Brady [#]
13. Rock Island Line
14. Big Fat Woman
15. In New Orleans (House of the Rising Sun) [#]
16. Chicken Crowing for Midnight [#]
17. You Can't Lose Me, Cholly
18. Sally Walker
19. Ha Ha This A-Way
20. Yellow Gal
21. Green Corn
22. Let It Shine on Me [#]
23. Meeting at the Building
24. In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down) [#]
25. Pigmeat
26. Blind Lemon
27. Bottle Up and Go
28. Sukey Jump (Win'jammer)
29. Old Riley
30. 4, 5, and 9
31. No Good Rider
32. Shorty George
33. Duncan and Brady [Version 2]
34. Leaving Blues

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38499 in Music
• Released on: 1996-02-20
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Forty years after his death, Lead Belly’s songs and style have continued to influence folk, blues, and rock artists including Neil Young, William Styron, Ben Harper, Keb’ Mo, Dionne Farris, and the late Kurt Cobain (Nirvana). Between 1941 and 1947 Lead Belly recorded some of his best music in Moses Asch’s tiny New York studio. The only surviving Asch masters of Lead Belly are now part of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. For the first time in almost 50 years these original acetates have been carefully remastered and newly annotated. 34 tracks, including Irene, Where Did You Sleep Last Night, In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down, and Rock Island Line. Originally released as a tribute to Lead Belly after his death in 1948, this reissue includes many out-takes and previously unreleased and alternate versions. Extensive notes include Lead Belly’s own song commentary. Annotated by Jeff Place. Compiled by Jeff Place, Anthony Seeger and Kip Lornell. "The soul expressed! is full-fledged and sublime." –New England Folk Almanac

Customer Reviews

The roots of quite a lot...
Lead Belly is one of the best in American music - he's right up there with Woody Guthrie (if not above him, which is more than arguable) in influence and importance for the formation of 20th century music. Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter) was supposedly "discovered" and recorded in prison by John Lomax (the recordings on this CD were recorded by Moses Asch in the 1940s). He also is said to have sung his way into being pardoned (during his second term in prison after being convicted of murder) by the then governor of Texas. He never became a star, but many of his songs have been re-recorded by popular artists (probably the best-known examples are the covers of "Goodnight, Irene" by the Weavers and "Midnight Special" by Credence Clearwater Revival).

This collection is a great starting point for Lead Belly's music. It includes some of his most memorable songs: "Irene", "Grey Goose", "Cotton Fields", "Sylvie", "Rock Island Line", "Green Corn". The recording quality is great considering the age of the recordings. Included are plenty of Lead Belly playing his legendary 12-string guitar along with some a capella tracks. The CD booklet has a good biography and extensive track notes, along with quotes from Lead Belly himself about selected songs. If you're curious about Lead Belly this CD is a great introduction to his music. If you want more, this series has 2 additional excellent volumes.

1st of 3 in Smithsonian's Lead Belly Legacy series
(67') This is the first of three volumes in the Smithsonian's Lead Belly Legacy series, probably the best set for just listening to Lead Belly play and sing. All three CDs are taken from Moses Asch's original studio masters (as opposed to most other available compilations on reprint labels, which are made from secondary sources); the other two are Vol. 2 "Bourgeois Blues" SF40045 (72'), and Vol. 3 "Shout On" SF40105 (70'). As usual, the Smithsonian provides extensive and authoritative notes.

A compilation worth every penny!
Leadbelly slices through the blues like a hot knife through butter! His mastery of the 12-string guitar and wailing vibrato vocals cause your toes to tingle and your mouth to water. The sound quality is a little shaky at times but the CD is a better alternative than spinning the old records on your turntable. LEADBELLY- Blues at its best!