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No Lead Belly, no Beatles? Sounds like clickbait, but the musical family tree makes a surprisingly convincing case.
On this episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott and Blake wrap up the incredible story of Huddy Ledbetter and trace how a former prisoner from the Louisiana-Texas border became one of modern music’s most essential ancestors.
After getting out of the "Alcatraz of the South," Angola Prison, Lead Belly became folklorist John Lomax's wingman. Before long, he was the main attraction, marketed to audiences as a dangerous, knife-wielding ex-con with a guitar.
The messy partnership with Lomax didn't last, but Lead Belly sure did. He became an elder statesman to the emerging American folk movement, recorded everything from blues and cowboy songs to topical protest music, and passed along songs that traveled much farther than he ever could.
“Rock Island Line” helped launch Britain’s skiffle craze, while “Goodnight Irene,” “Midnight Special,” “Cotton Fields,” and “In the Pines” eventually reached millions through the likes of Pete Seeger and CCR to Led Zeppelin and Nirvana.
Huddie Ledbetter is possibly the most influential artist of the 20th century, and more people need to know why.
