Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly's Truths from Jim Crow's Lies

by Sheila Curran Bernard

Known worldwide as Lead Belly, Huddie Ledbetter (1889–1949) is an American icon whose influence on modern music was tremendous – as was, according to legend, the temper that landed him in two of the South's most brutal prisons, while his immense talent twice won him pardons. But, as this deeply researched book shows, these stories were shaped by the white folklorists who 'discovered' Lead Belly and, along with reporters, recording executives, and radio and film producers, introduced him to audiences beyond the South. Through a revelatory examination of arrest, trial, and prison records; sharecropping reports; oral histories; newspaper articles; and more, author Sheila Curran Bernard replaces myth with fact, offering a stunning indictment of systemic racism in the Jim Crow era of the United States and the power of narrative to erase and distort the past.

Genres: Music, History

253 pages, Hardcover

First published July 11, 2024

About the author

Bernard, Sheila Curran (alphabetized under B)

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, author, and educator, with expertise in nonfiction narrative. Most recent book, "Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly's Truths from Jim Crow's Lies” (Cambridge University Press, July 2024).

Previous books include "Documentary Storytelling: Creative Nonfiction on Screen," now in its 5th edition (2022) and available in seven languages; and, with Kenn Rabin, "Archival Storytelling: Finding, Using, and Licensing Third-Party Visuals and Music," now in its 2nd edition (2020).

Films include "Slavery by Another Name" and the series "I'll Make Me a World: A Century of African American Arts" and "Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads," all broadcast nationally on PBS.

Reviews

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is seminal and just... hugely, hugely, necessary because there aren't that many books that center on Lead Belly's life. Most of these works have centered instead of the white musicologists John Lomax and one of his sons, Alan, and of how they "discovered" Lead Belly as they were going through the process of collecting and recording as many African American folks songs as they could to preserve them as part of a huge project and partnership with the Library of Congress. Bernard's book is comprehensive, gives Lead Belly's perspective, and is essential for anyone who wants to know more about this pivotal figure in American music. Lead Belly was so much more than just "Oh, Kurt Cobain covered one of his songs." Lead Belly's life had so many more nuances and the systems he was put in, and he... for goodness' sakes, he served prison sentences in Angola, which is one of the worst structures that humanity ever made, a prison in Louisiana that was built overtop a plantation. In any case, this is an essential book and I highly recommend it.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rigorously researched and painstakingly detailed. Really dives into the Lomax mythos and the reality of his behavior, and demystifies Lead Belly.

[Joseph Vap · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a heartbreakingly honest look at one of the grandfathers of Americana folk and rock music.

Perhaps not uncommon for the time, but Huddie Ledbetter and his wife were expected to perform as “servants” to John Lomax as Lomax and his son worked on recording sessions and bookings for Ledbetter. Also as a sign of the times, when on the road with Lomax, white Lomax would stay a the local hotel, while Ledbetter was expected to find his own lodging, with the choices being a Black YMCA or a charitable local Black family.

One can certainly argue that the circumstances of Black Americans have improved dramatically since those days. But my father was born before those days, not all that long ago. Many Black Americans still have the scars from that time even today. We should never whitewash this history, but maintain a commitment to move beyond it and to strive for equality for all.

[Garry Marlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was interesting but a very quick end

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense. A great document about a great American performer. At times shocking but also not considering the history of the United States.