Leadbelly - The Legend of Leadbelly (1970) [Hi-Res]

Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, was a unique figure in the American popular music of the 20th century. Ultimately, he was best remembered for a body of songs that he discovered, adapted, or wrote, including "Goodnight, Irene," "Rock Island Line," "The Midnight Special," and "Cotton Fields." But he was also an early example of a folksinger whose background had brought him into direct contact with the oral tradition by which folk music was handed down, a tradition that, by the early years of the century, already included elements of commercial popular music. Because he was an African-American, he is sometimes viewed as a blues singer, but blues (a musical form he actually predated) was only one of the styles that informed his music. He was a profound influence on folk performers of the 1940s such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, who in turn influenced the folk revival and the development of rock music from the 1960s onward, which makes his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, early in the hall's existence, wholly appropriate.

The songs in this set are drawn from some of the early commercial recordings Leadbelly made in the 1930s as well as live recordings from the 1940s.

1.01 - Leadbelly - In New Orleans (3:15)
1.02 - Leadbelly - Goodnight Irene (2:33)
1.03 - Leadbelly - Where Did You Sleep Last Night (3:01)
1.04 - Leadbelly - How Long (2:09)
1.05 - Leadbelly - John Hardy (3:15)
1.06 - Leadbelly - When the Boys Were on the Western Plains (2:57)
1.07 - Leadbelly - Pretty Flower in Your Backyard (2:45)
1.08 - Leadbelly - Roberta (3:07)
1.09 - Leadbelly - I've a Pretty Flower (2:27)
1.10 - Leadbelly - Yellow Gal (3:08)