Huddie

Huddie Ledbetter, also known as Leadbelly. They say his skin was very dark, black with almost a red tint. I don't know, never saw him in person. He died in 1949, but the black and white pictures I've seen seem to confirm that. He was one of the first African-American artists that gained a Caucasian audience. Most of the recordings of Ledbelly that exist are far from good quality by today's standards. They were mostly recorded near the very advent of recording. But I'll tell you what... it's some moving stuff. I've grown to love the blues over the past 2 years especially. I had some personal struggles that made music nearly intolerable to me. Music has a way of bringing back memories, stirring up emotions, painting pictures with sound. The way I was feeling, I didn't want to remember things, I didn't want certain emotions stirred up, and the pictures painted by the music I was accustomed to lost some lustre. So I started listening to stuff I never listened to before.... Ledbelly, Blind Lemon, Blind Willie Johnson, Elmore James, and other blues and roots music. I love it, and it helps me understand so much about music today. Leadbelly was one of the best. But the fact is, Bob Dylan was right.... "no one can sing the blues... like Blind Willie McTell."