Events to honor Lead Belly legacy

The son of a sharecropper, Huddie Ledbetter influenced generations of musicians.
By JOHN PATRICK GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
His musical legacy has been embraced worldwide by artists spanning folk, blues, country and rock 'n' roll including Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Neil Young and Kurt Cobain. But Huddie Ledbetter, a k a Lead Belly, is a little known figure to all but the most die-hard of music listeners.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Case Western Reserve University plan to change that by focusing on his life and body of work during "Shine A Light On Me," its Ninth Annual American Music Masters Series that takes place from Monday through next Sunday.
"Lead Belly is not a household name in the way that Woody Guthrie is," said Warren Zanes, vice president of education at the rock hall. "Oddly enough, Lead Belly's songs are better known. The reason for the notoriety of his songs has to do with the remarkable history of his material being covered by other artists.
"Many know 'Midnight Special' by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Many know 'Gallows Pole' by Led Zeppelin. Many know Nirvana's 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night' or, earlier than all of these, the Weavers' No. 1 pop hit in 1950, 'Goodnight Irene.' All are songs that came down to us from Lead Belly."
Various events
A series of events will include films, discussion panels and concerts. It all leads to the final, major event, a tribute concert featuring former Led Zeppelin frontman and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Robert Plant, Los Lobos, Odetta, Dave Alvin and others.
"I hope the AMM event will be just another provocation that makes people return to the source and learn more about a man who remains a national treasure," Zanes said.
"I think people need to go back and hear the original, hear what Pete Seeger heard, what John Fogerty heard, what Kurt Cobain heard, so that they can appreciate Lead Belly's charismatic delivery and the intensity of his performance."
Born near Mooringsport, La., in 1885, Lead Belly lived in the rural South, the only child of a sharecropper. Taught the accordion by his uncle, he eventually mastered six- and 12-string guitars, harmonica, piano and mandolin. His prowess as a musician led him to play everything from the blues to children's songs, field hollers, folk ballads, spirituals and more.
Recorded in 1933
In 1933 Library of Congress archivists John and Alan Lomax discovered Lead Belly, who was serving a sentence for assault in Angola State Prison in Louisiana. These recordings enlightened listeners up North about this artist, which led him to move there and play alongside Guthrie, Burl Ives and Pete Seeger.
Picking up the narrative, Zanes said, "When John and Alan Lomax introduced Huddie Ledbetter to New York City, they brought him into the very circles that would become the center of the urban folk movement of the 1940s and 1950s. From that position, Lead Belly was more visible and more crucial to the urban folkies, Seeger and Guthrie included, as an emblem of authenticity.
"New possibilities arose for Lead Belly in the North, no matter that rampant racism plagued North and South alike."
Great influence
Given the opportunity to record his songs, he left a legacy that has inspired aspiring musicians for decades to come. Unfortunately, he died from Lou Gehrig's disease in 1949, shortly before his impact on the music world could be measured through the success of "Goodnight, Irene."
"On some level, Lead Belly reflects the hybridity that is American music's most distinguishing feature," Zanes said. "American music at its best is never a thoroughbred form. It always has various traditions mixing together to form something unexpected.
"Lead Belly was himself a vessel in which various musical streams, reaching back to the 19th century, flowed together beautifully and convincingly."