Huddie William Ledbetter was born on January 29, 1885 on the Jeter Plantation near Mooringsport, Louisiana. He was the only child of his parents Wesley and Sally. Huddie and his parents moved to Leigh, Texas when he was five and it was there that he became interested in music, encouraged by his uncle Terrell who bought Huddie his first musical instrument, an accordion.
It was some years later when Huddie picked up the guitar but by the age of 21 he had left home to wander around Texas and Louisiana trying to make his living as a musician. Over the next ten years Huddie wandered throughout the southwest eking out an existence by playing guitar when he could and working as a laborer when he had to.
Huddie Ledbetter was the world's greatest cotton picker, railroad track liner, lover, and drinker as well as guitar player. This assertion came from no less an authority on the matter than Huddie himself. Since not everyone agreed with his opinion Huddie frequently found himself obliged to convince them. His convincing frequently landed him in jail.
In 1916 Huddie was in jail in Texas on assault charges when he escaped. He spent the next two years under the alias of Walter Boyd. But then after he killed a man in a fight he was convicted of murder and sentenced to thirty years of hard labor at Huntsville, Texas' Shaw State Prison Farm. After seven years he was released after begging pardon from the governor with a song:
Please, Governor Neff, Be good 'n' kind
Have mercy on my great long time...
I don't see to save my soul
If I don't get a pardon, try me on a parole...
If I had you, Governor Neff, like you got me
I'd wake up in the mornin' and I'd set you free
Pat Neff was convinced by the song and by Huddie's assurances that he'd seen the error of his ways. Huddie left Huntsville a free man. But in 1930 he was arrested, tried, and convicted of attempted homicide.
It was in the Louisiana State Penitentiary in July 1933 that Huddie met folklorist John Lomax and his son Alan who were touring the south for the Library of Congress collecting unwritten ballads and folk songs using newly available recording technology. The Lomaxes had discovered that Southern prisons were among the best places to collect work songs, ballads, and spirituals but Leadbelly, as he now called himself, was a particular find.
Over the next few days the Lomaxes recorded hundreds of songs. When they returned in the summer of 1934 for more recordings Leadbelly told them of his pardon in Texas. As Allen Lomax tells it, "We agreed to make a record of his petition on the other side of one of his favorite ballads, 'Goodnight Irene'. I took the record to Governor Allen on July 1. On August 1 Leadbelly got his pardon. On September 1 I was sitting in a hotel in Texas when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up and there was Leadbelly with his guitar, his knife, and a sugar bag packed with all his earthly belongings. He said, 'Boss, you got me out of jail and now I've come to be your man'"
In 1935 Lomax took Leadbelly North where he became a sensation. Leadbelly remained Leadbelly. After hearing Cab Calloway sing in Harlem he announced that he could "beat that man singin' every time". His inclination toward violent resolution of conflicts, though mellowed, lead to threatening Lomax with a knife which effectively ended their friendship. Nevertheless by 1940 Leadbelly had become well known in the recording industry. Over the next 9 years Leadbelly's fame and success continued to increase until he fell ill while on a European Tour. Tests revealed that he suffered from lateral sclerosis and he died on December 6, 1949.
Adapted from the liner notes to "Leadbelly, Alabama Bound" by executive producer Billy Altman, on RCA Records.
Now I don't know about the rest of you, but in my opinion anyone who can sing his way out of prison twice must be pretty darn good. :)
It sounds like he lived his life with no sideline participation. He must have been something to be around iffin’ you were on his good side that is. So often we here of spirited personalities as musicians. :)
Interesting about the uncle and the first instrument don't ya think?
You ladies get another chance. If you saw the movie you should remember this next one. Click HERE! and see if if sounds familiar. OK.. I'm on a tango kick but gawd.. nothing much sexier than a lady in black dancing the tango.
The reason it's called a podcast is, it refers to Apple's IPod mp3 player. With the right hookup, you can have stuff downloaded directly to the IPod. You don't necessarily need an IPod to listen to the file, only if you want to take it on the road.
(partial quote).....But he does fall for another kind of romanticism; a rosy, uncritical exoticism articulated through dance hall philosophizing on the karma of tango.
It's the last one posted up a few posts but just to show what a nice guy I am... I'll post it again. It's a tango from a movie and Kathy knows it. Me? I'm a sucker for tangos. Click HERE!
Unfortunately, I do not know the movie. The only movie I can recall that has a cool tango scene in it...(and I can actually hear the melody as I'm typing here), was from that great movie...Scent of a Woman.
Kathy, Where are you? You usually wish us a good morning by now.
Well, I guess I have to do the honors today. Have a wonderful morning everybody.
Moon Girl,
Life is full in some ways, know what I mean? B)
Thank you for being our morning greeter. I felt warmed when I peeked in for a second with no time to talk. :)
George and Ala,
It's the last one posted up a few posts but just to show what a nice guy I am... I'll post it again. It's a tango from a movie and Kathy knows it. Me? I'm a sucker for tangos. Click <a href=http://mail.bluzecentral.net/~sudo/abi.mp3><font color=red>HERE!</font></a>
<center>sudo</center>
Sudo,
This may be a giveaway but it seems you have a stumper there.
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Ah, Leadbelly! Great choice Sudo! Thank's for posting it!
It's also kind of cool that you posted Goodnight Irene because there's a real interesting story about the song on the flip side of that record!
from http://leadbelly.lanl.gov/leadbelly.html :
Huddie William Ledbetter was born on January 29, 1885 on the Jeter Plantation near Mooringsport, Louisiana. He was the only child of his parents Wesley and Sally. Huddie and his parents moved to Leigh, Texas when he was five and it was there that he became interested in music, encouraged by his uncle Terrell who bought Huddie his first musical instrument, an accordion.
It was some years later when Huddie picked up the guitar but by the age of 21 he had left home to wander around Texas and Louisiana trying to make his living as a musician. Over the next ten years Huddie wandered throughout the southwest eking out an existence by playing guitar when he could and working as a laborer when he had to.
Huddie Ledbetter was the world's greatest cotton picker, railroad track liner, lover, and drinker as well as guitar player. This assertion came from no less an authority on the matter than Huddie himself. Since not everyone agreed with his opinion Huddie frequently found himself obliged to convince them. His convincing frequently landed him in jail.
In 1916 Huddie was in jail in Texas on assault charges when he escaped. He spent the next two years under the alias of Walter Boyd. But then after he killed a man in a fight he was convicted of murder and sentenced to thirty years of hard labor at Huntsville, Texas' Shaw State Prison Farm. After seven years he was released after begging pardon from the governor with a song:
Please, Governor Neff, Be good 'n' kind
Have mercy on my great long time...
I don't see to save my soul
If I don't get a pardon, try me on a parole...
If I had you, Governor Neff, like you got me
I'd wake up in the mornin' and I'd set you free
Pat Neff was convinced by the song and by Huddie's assurances that he'd seen the error of his ways. Huddie left Huntsville a free man. But in 1930 he was arrested, tried, and convicted of attempted homicide.
It was in the Louisiana State Penitentiary in July 1933 that Huddie met folklorist John Lomax and his son Alan who were touring the south for the Library of Congress collecting unwritten ballads and folk songs using newly available recording technology. The Lomaxes had discovered that Southern prisons were among the best places to collect work songs, ballads, and spirituals but Leadbelly, as he now called himself, was a particular find.
Over the next few days the Lomaxes recorded hundreds of songs. When they returned in the summer of 1934 for more recordings Leadbelly told them of his pardon in Texas. As Allen Lomax tells it, "We agreed to make a record of his petition on the other side of one of his favorite ballads, 'Goodnight Irene'. I took the record to Governor Allen on July 1. On August 1 Leadbelly got his pardon. On September 1 I was sitting in a hotel in Texas when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up and there was Leadbelly with his guitar, his knife, and a sugar bag packed with all his earthly belongings. He said, 'Boss, you got me out of jail and now I've come to be your man'"
In 1935 Lomax took Leadbelly North where he became a sensation. Leadbelly remained Leadbelly. After hearing Cab Calloway sing in Harlem he announced that he could "beat that man singin' every time". His inclination toward violent resolution of conflicts, though mellowed, lead to threatening Lomax with a knife which effectively ended their friendship. Nevertheless by 1940 Leadbelly had become well known in the recording industry. Over the next 9 years Leadbelly's fame and success continued to increase until he fell ill while on a European Tour. Tests revealed that he suffered from lateral sclerosis and he died on December 6, 1949.
Adapted from the liner notes to "Leadbelly, Alabama Bound" by executive producer Billy Altman, on RCA Records.
Now I don't know about the rest of you, but in my opinion anyone who can sing his way out of prison twice must be pretty darn good. :)
Rick
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ChattyKathy
It sounds like he lived his life with no sideline participation. He must have been something to be around iffin’ you were on his good side that is. So often we here of spirited personalities as musicians. :)
Interesting about the uncle and the first instrument don't ya think?
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Sudo
Rick,
Glad you liked it. You deserved something special on your birthday!!!
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TED Ferrell
Hey Rick
Was it not Leadbelly that wrote the tune The Rock Isalnd Line that was later recorded in the 50's and became a monster hit for Lonnie Donnegan ?
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Sudo
Kathy, Mooney, Ala etc...
You ladies get another chance. If you saw the movie you should remember this next one. Click HERE! and see if if sounds familiar. OK.. I'm on a tango kick but gawd.. nothing much sexier than a lady in black dancing the tango.
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ChattyKathy
No one is more dangerous than the man who lives two lives.
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A la prochaine
Sudo,
Thank you for thinking of us... I always feel right behind the 8 ball in this place though. Feel outta' my league ... :(
I have a question.... now THIS tango you have posted it's from Moulin Rouge... right???? You now want us to guess the performer??? Is that it?
I'm sure I've missed the whole point of your post...but, what else is new! :huh:
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A la prochaine
OK,
another question?
what is a podcast???
i'm listening to a podcast by one of my favourite bands...Great Big Sea????
It sounds like an interview but why the different name?
:huh: :mellow: :unsure:
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ChattyKathy
Morning and I don't know myself or I'd tell ya! :)
Sudo, I may have the wrong movie also.
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Sushi
The reason it's called a podcast is, it refers to Apple's IPod mp3 player. With the right hookup, you can have stuff downloaded directly to the IPod. You don't necessarily need an IPod to listen to the file, only if you want to take it on the road.
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ChattyKathy
Would you tell me what this screen name means to you perhaps? :)
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Sudo
Kathy,
You have the right movie. Now I'll let YOU give some helpful hints!
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ChattyKathy
Cool Sudo, I'll come up with some tonight if not already guessed by then. Hope all is well today.
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ChattyKathy
(partial quote).....But he does fall for another kind of romanticism; a rosy, uncritical exoticism articulated through dance hall philosophizing on the karma of tango.
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moony3424
Kathy, Where are you? You usually wish us a good morning by now.
Well, I guess I have to do the honors today. Have a wonderful morning everybody.
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A la prochaine
Thank You Moon!,
Nice to see you. :D
By the way,
This guessing game that Sudo and Chatty have going has me completely lost.
What movie are they talking about? Song? I'm lost. :blink:
Why is it I always seem so 'not with the program' around here? :(
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GeorgeStGeorge
Don't feel bad, Kiddo! I have no idea what they're talking about, either! :wacko:
George
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Sudo
George and Ala,
It's the last one posted up a few posts but just to show what a nice guy I am... I'll post it again. It's a tango from a movie and Kathy knows it. Me? I'm a sucker for tangos. Click HERE!
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A la prochaine
Merci Sudo,
:D
Now,
Unfortunately, I do not know the movie. The only movie I can recall that has a cool tango scene in it...(and I can actually hear the melody as I'm typing here), was from that great movie...Scent of a Woman.
Great film I thought.
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ChattyKathy
Moon Girl,
Life is full in some ways, know what I mean? B)
Thank you for being our morning greeter. I felt warmed when I peeked in for a second with no time to talk. :)
Sudo,
This may be a giveaway but it seems you have a stumper there.
He had The Godfather's ear.
~~~~~
Ala and SaintGeorge,
I hope that strikes a memory in ya! :)
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ChattyKathy
Got one of these tonight and I thought cool looking.
(hmmm on the preview it was all on one line, my sentence that is)
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GeorgeStGeorge
As Ala suggested, "The Scent of a Woman" had (Al Pacino and) a great tango, but this wan't it.
George
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ChattyKathy
You're getting warm though.
(remember that game)
:)
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ChattyKathy
Good morning anyone around. :)
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