Sings Folk Songs (CD)

The embodiment of the link between folk and blues, Lousiana-born Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) possessed a powerful voice and the creative fervor to fashion his observations and heartfelt passions into riveting songs. An itinerant singer/guitarist, he performed in between working odd jobs and spending time in prison for his violent outbursts. Twice he gained pardon from long prison sentences with his songs. After Leadbelly's second pardon, in 1934, the recordings folklorist Alan Lomax made of him brought the singer national success. Whether conscious of his influence or not, nearly all folk and blues singers can trace their musical lineage back to him. He's responsible for many songs that have become part of America's cultural heritage.

• Category:  Music  »  Blues  »  Country Blues
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: October 15, 1989
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
• UPC: 093074001028
• WAPI (Tower ID): 106408232
• Average Customer Review: There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!
• Tower.com Sales Rank: #190729 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #4349 in Blues (See Top 100 Blues Bestsellers)
• #247 in Country Blues (See Top 100 Country Blues Bestsellers)

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Personnel includes: Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter (vocals, 12-string guitar); Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Sonny Terry.

Includes liner notes by Woody Guthrie.

One of 17 Huddie Ledbetter albums on the Smithsonian Folkways label, SINGS FOLK SONGS is a superb collection of classic recordings of traditional tunes, most of which were arranged (and some written) by the man himself. Joined by friends (including Woody Guthrie) on backing vocals and harmonica, Leadbelly's resonant 12-string guitar and warm, enthusiastic singing charge through numbers like "There's A Man Going Round Taking Names" and "Corn Bread Rough."

The greatest delight of the album is the unhindered spirit of freedom and improvisation that pervades: gradually quickening tempos, shouts and hollers, minor flubs, and extemporaneous lyrics-- such as the duet with Woody Guthrie on "We Shall Be Free" and the chop-licking explication of all the pancakes available in heaven in "Good, Good, Good." Moreover, it is easy to see how these songs became and have remained so popular ("The Blood Done Sign My Name" is inescapably catchy). Leadbelly takes these wonderful songs and makes them even better.

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