Decade of Difference: Lead Belly
Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly is best remembered for his body of work that he either wrote, adapted or rediscovered. Sometimes lumped in with early blues musicians, Lead Belly was more than that. He relied on direct contact to bring forward old folk songs, bringing them forward by learning from his elders.
Born to a Louisiana sharecropper in 1888, Ledbetters’ family moved to Texas where they bought a farm. He attended school for a few years before stopping to work on the farm, then returned to Louisiana at 16. And supported himself as a performer. After a couple of years travelling and working as a performer and a farm hand, Ledbetter finally settled in Texas – married and started farming.