The Best of Leadbelly (Remastered) Lead Belly

• 1 Where Did You Sleep Last Night? 03:02
• 2 The Bourgeois Blues 03:22
• 3 Poor Howard / Green Corn 03:22
• 4 The Gallis Pole 03:08
• 5 Noted Rider 01:28
• 6 Big Fat Woman 01:20
• 7 Borrow Love and Go 01:13
• 8 Bring Me Li'l Water Silvy 00:50
• 9 Julie Ann Johnson 00:42
• 10 Line 'Em 00:56
• 11 Whoa Back, Buck 01:25
• 12 John Hardy 04:17
• 13 In New Orleans 03:16
• 14 Goodnight Irene 02:33
• 15 Looky Yonder / Black Betty / Yellow Women's Doorbells 03:05
• 16 How Long Blues 02:10
• 17 Yellow Gal 03:08
• 18 On a Monday (I'm Almost Done) 02:13
• 19 Pretty Flowers in My Backyard 02:27
• 20 The Boll Weevil 02:37
• 21 Cow Cow Yicky Yea / Out on the Western Plain 02:56
• 22 Pretty Flowers in My Backyard (Featuring Josh White) 02:45
• 23 De Kalb Blues 03:03
• 24 Roberta 03:08
• 25 Blue Tail Fly 02:17
• Total Runtime 01:00:43

Info for The Best of Leadbelly (Remastered)

HiRes ReMaster: Louisiana delta native Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter is the master of twelve-string blues guitar. His story is one of high-highs and low-lows, from serving stints in prison after killing a man in a fight for a woman's heart, but then eventually earning early release by entertaining his fellow prison-mates and penning a song for the governor, thus cementing his reputation of singing his way out of prison. Folklorists John and Alan Lomax were early supporters that brought Lead Belly to the attention of Ivy Leaguers as well as a European audience. His songs have been widely covered by artists such as Elvis, Nirvana, Johnny Cash, and the Grateful Dead.

Huddie Ledbetter, guitar, vocals (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 11, 13 to 24)
Huddie Ledbetter, guitar, vocals, piano (tracks: 6)
Huddie Ledbetter, vocals (tracks: 25)
Huddie Ledbetter, vocals, guitar, accordion (tracks: 12)

Reissue Produced by Athan Maroulis

Digitally remastered

Lead Belly
He was born Huddie Ledbetter, on a Louisiana plantation. A big man, terribly strong. And all that strength was matched by a fiery temper. A combo that got him in trouble. By the time he was seventeen years old, he was on a chain gang. But he escaped. Three years later he was arrested, this time for murder, and sentenced to a Texas prison. Somewhere along the way he picked up a nickname, and Huddie Ledbetter became Lead Belly. But see, Lead Belly wasn’t just strong. He was super talented. He could play a number of instruments, especially an oversized twelve-string guitar he called Stella. Topping it off? He was a monster singer/songwriter. So after serving a little time, he wrote a song for the governor, asking to be released. It worked. Pretty incredible since that very governor had been elected on the promise he’d stop pardoning criminals.

Lead Belly was out of jail. But it didn’t last long. His temper caught up to him and he landed in a Louisiana prison for attempted homicide. There he met a father/son team of folklorists. John and Alan Lomax. They saw his musical potential and recorded hundreds of his songs while he was still behind bars. One of those tracks? Another plea to another governor. They sent him a disc with Lead Belly’s musical request for release. And it worked—again.

This album contains no booklet.