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Article: Lead Belly: king of the 12-string blues.(Huddie Ledbetter, 1889-1949)(includes related discography)
- Article from:
- Guitar Player
- Article date:
- August 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 New Bay Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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His name was Huddie Ledbetter, but he was better known as Lead Belly, "The King of the 12-String Guitar." A brawling, stocky, 5'7" man who'd done hard time for murder, Lead Belly virtually changed worlds in 1935, shedding chain-gang shackles for uptown society. Few doubted his boast that he and a partner could pick a bale of cotton--a thousand pounds--a day, and many saw him as little more than a clothed savage. But he could be charming, witty and courteous, and he was a great musician. "He sang some of the greatest protest songs of all time," remembered his friend Pete Seeger. "He had the heart of a champion."
Lead Belly's voice was field-holler powerful, his ...
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:
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Article: A look at the man behind the legend in Lead Belly ...
The Boston Globe;
April 11, 1999 ;
700+ words
...Today, Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter (1888-1949) is regarded ... Parties in Song and Dance as Sung by Lead Belly" opened up new career vistas for ... a new Smithsonian Folkways CD, "Lead Belly Sings for Children." (His moniker ...
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