The Life and Legend of Leadbelly

by Charles Wolfe, Kip Lornell

A biography of the legendary folk and blues singer discusses his influences, his close relationships with folk greats Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and his involvement in left-wing politics and the labor movement

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1992

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leadbelly, perhaps more than anyone else, was an improbable bridge between the rough African-Amerian rural music of the early 20th century with the sophisticated Northeastern audience it began to earn after World War II. Wolfe's research is exhaustive, especially regarding the poorly-documented African-American culture of Northwest Louisiana and Northwest Texas in the 20s. Wolfe points out that Leadbelly did not write "Goodnight, Irene." Nor did Leadbelly earn a prison release from Louisiana Governor O.K. Allen by singing (although he did earn one earlier by singing for Texas Governor Pat Neff). He was released from Angola, Louisiana's notorious prison, as one of many prisoners in a budget-saving move during the Depression (perhaps that is part of the reason why Louisians joke that a leaf blew in Allen's office one day and he signed it). He didn't pull a knife on John Lomax, although one can understand why he might have been tempted. Lomax had Leadbelly sign a management contract that gave Lomax 2/3 of the money earned on a tour of concerts for Northeastern white audiences. Lomax resented the way Leadbelly would sneak off with the car (Leadbelly was the driver) for a night of drinking and singing with the local black population. Wolfe doesn't emphasize it, but the way in which Lomax exhibited Leadbelly seems more than a little exploitative and patronizing. Leadbelly died in New York, friends with people like Zora Neale Hurston and many of the voices that would become so popular during the folk explosion of the fifties singing his songs. Leadbelly did not live to hear it. Still, he had come a long way from the hot-tempered, occasionally violent, singer who started off by helping Blind Lemon Jefferson. Despite the link to Jefferson, Leadbelly was outside the blues tradition, if one can even say that there was a blues tradition before white collectors sliced it off from the diverse musical world of the early twentieth century South. He lacked the existential anguish of Robert Johnson, the polish of a Leroy Carr or Lonnie Johnson, and if he showed southern black musicians how to communicate with a white audience, he missed the lucrative peak. But the breadth of his repertoire--he sang children's songs, work songs, play songs--is probably more reflective of the society he lived in than many who are better known.

[Zebulynn Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful biography.

Leadbelly has always been a figure of myth & a larger than life legend growing up. This was very well researched & really tells it blatantly & honestly which is definitely appreciated. I thought I knew alot about him but found in this book some corrections & new interesting things. Definitely recommend reading

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[East Bay J · Rating 5 out of 5]

It goes without saying that Lead Belly was a character and my humble opinion is he was also a fantastic performer. Additionally, he served the function of introducing and preserving a great deal of American folk song to the masses, recording many, many of these songs for us to enjoy forever. In The Life & Legend Of Lead Belly, Charles Wolfe and Kip Lornell do a fantastic job of relating the story of lead Belly's life, with excellent research and engaging writing. They debunk several of the myths that rose around Lead Belly, including much of the misinformation that stemmed from the overactive imaginations of John and Allen Lomax. The last time Lead Belly came into the public consciousness was with Nirvana's cover of "In The Pines" (or "My Girl") and it's too bad. His music is timeless and still speaks volumes to all people. Wolfe and Lornell made it fun and exciting to learn about the man and his life.

[Oakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This bio dispels a lot of the common myths that are wrapped around Leadbelly. At the same time, the historical facts of this man's life are completely amazing. It seems that every aspect of his life was pulled between extremes. The authors make a good case for Leadbelly as being the definitive folksinger.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been listening to Folkways artists since I first came across Woody Guthrie as a teenager, and Lead Belly has played prominently among my favorite artists of that era. Going into reading this biography, I knew next to nothing about Leadbelly's life, other than he was among the circle of people who Woody Guthrie considered friends. However, I have always enjoyed his music, being first introduced to him through the Bourgeois Blues then later hearing his versions of In the Pines, Irene Goodnight, The Rock Island Line, Gallis Pole, etc... This book is a well-documented history of Huddie Leadbetter's life and the construction of his legend. From his early days playing the house parties and sukey joints in Shreveport, Dallas and New Orleans, the book traces his life including the prison years, the years working with John and Allan Lomax, to final years playing in New York City, still at his best as a raconteur and folk and blues performer with a twelve-string guitar and a vast catalogue of songs in his head. Could a biography of Lead Belly have been more than the reconstruction of his life recorded here? Yes. The book is informative. However, it is somewhat limited in connecting the traditions of Huddie Leadbetter's music that John and Alan Lomax were so intent on documenting to the wider culture of music from which it arose as well as its commercialization in the 1930's and 40's; likewise, Wolfe and Lornell gloss over Leadbelly's capacity for navigating vastly different audiences during the Jim Crow era, whether his fellow sharecroppers and farmers in Shreveport, the prison guards and wardens of Sugar Land and Angola or Harvard and Cornell faculty. Nonetheless the book is an important source of information and understanding of Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter's life and music.

[Josh Gering · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one grew on me as the story progressed. Much of Leadbelly's early story isn't known in great detail, so a lot of it is pieced together in a way that feel impersonal and a bit dry. But his later life with input from many who spent time with him offers a very moving story.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to hear the back story of one man's experiences and the time in the country's history.

[bup · Rating 4 out of 5]

It sure has made me start listening to old blues again. Leadbelly, of course, is more folk than blues, and really more just Leadbelly than anything else, but it's made me pull out Charley Patton, Memphis Minnie, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon, and a bunch of other stuff. So, you know, that's good.

It amazes me that there aren't a whole slew of bios of Leadbelly, all arguing with each other, but at least this one's well-researched and teased out a lot of the facts from fiction before time made the truth irretrievable.

Also, it's readable. Not just readable, but an enjoyable read. I don't know what it is with musicologists who specialize in 78's, but man, they can be full of themselves. Ever read the liner notes of an old country blues album? Maybe they're insecure. The other musicologists don't take them seriously or something.

Nevertheless, I do have one quibble. Lornell and Wolfe categorically state at the end of the book that Louisiana's governor did not release Leadbelly from prison because of a song Leadbelly recorded for the governor. I'm not sure the evidence supports that. Sure, the governor and his employees denied it, but they would, wouldn't they? He got released a little early even following their official "double-good-time" logic.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being that traditional Blues (pre 1940) is my favorite music, I found this book VERY interesting. The first blues CD I ever purchased was Leadbelly and I have been a fan of his music for a long time. If you want to learn something about Americas musical history or just learn about this amazing musician, this is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[John Lyman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to learn the history of this iconic, albeit historically elusive, musician. I feel fairly confident the facts and conjectures written here were close to the truth. Regardless of that, this man had a deep and lasting impact on American music of many genres during and after his lifetime. I felt for him at times, and cringed at his behavior at others.

[Clint Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any fan of the blues will love reading about the legends of the early days of the blues.

[Peter]

I haven't read this yet, but I feel compelled to.

[SpyroNinja · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for Leadbelly fans and a great read for anyone else.