The Best of Leadbelly (Remastered) Lead Belly

• 1Where Did You Sleep Last Night?03:02
• 2The Bourgeois Blues03:22
• 3Poor Howard / Green Corn03:22
• 4The Gallis Pole03:08
• 5Noted Rider01:28
• 6Big Fat Woman01:20
• 7Borrow Love and Go01:13
• 8Bring Me Li'l Water Silvy00:50
• 9Julie Ann Johnson00:42
• 10Line 'Em00:56
• 11Whoa Back, Buck01:25
• 12John Hardy04:17
• 13In New Orleans03:16
• 14Goodnight Irene02:33
• 15Looky Yonder / Black Betty / Yellow Women's Doorbells03:05
• 16How Long Blues02:10
• 17Yellow Gal03:08
• 18On a Monday (I'm Almost Done)02:13
• 19Pretty Flowers in My Backyard02:27
• 20The Boll Weevil02:37
• 21Cow Cow Yicky Yea / Out on the Western Plain02:56
• 22Pretty Flowers in My Backyard (Featuring Josh White)02:45
• 23De Kalb Blues03:03
• 24Roberta03:08
• 25Blue Tail Fly02:17
• Total Runtime01:00:43

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.