Leadbelly and his music were larger than life and the nickname he was given in prison says much about the kind of man. But the 'Leadbelly legend' of a hard drinking, womanising murderer obscures the real man. His huge repertoire of songs embodied the black music of Texas and Louisiana, and his creative genious did much to shape the modern folk movement. 

Leadbelly was born in 1889 in Mooringsport Lousiana and after a few years of schooling went to work in the cottonfields, he discovered he had a talent for music and became proficient on the button accordian and then on mandolin, guitar, jews harp, harmonica, organ and piano.

Playing at church dance, he began to aquire his huge repetoire of songs. The blues, and important part of his music in later days was just becoming a part of black music at the turn of the century. He also learnt tap dancing and the soft shoe shuffle.

By the time he reached fourteen, Huddie was drinking beer, playing for numerous dances and getting into fights.The first blues he learnt was 'Im on My Last Go Around' and came from Fannin Street. He couldnt settle down and and took up the wandering life. Around 1910 Leadbelly encountered Blind Lemon Jefferson with whom he worked for several years.He learnt 'Matchbox Blues' and 'C C Rider' and aquired his first 12 twelve string guitar. Soon he was calling himself 'King or the Twelve String Guitar'.

In 1924 Leadbelly shot and killed one of his frinds in a quarrel and was jailed for 20 years.In 1924 while in prison ne entertained the State Governor, he was so impressed he was pardoned a year later.

In 1930 Leadbelly was in trouble again, he wounded a white man with a knife and was given six to ten years for attempted murder. His special talents stood him is good stead again and was recommended to John and Alan Lomax in the region on a folksong collecting trip. The results were to prove far reaching. John Lomax recognised his exceptional talent and resolved to get him out of prison, and in 1934 he was freed. John Lomax drew up an agreement with Leadbelly and began to promote the singer, with some success. Through the Lomaxes, Leadbelly made his frist commercial recordings. In 1935 Lomax ended the relationship.

In 1935, Martha Promise came up from Shreveport, and the couple were married, the relationaship had its problems but lasted till the end. Leadbelly made no commrcial recordings between 1935 and 1939. At 51 the reat of leadbelly's life was trouble free and he lived by a professional code always punctual and immaculately dressed. For the rest of his life, Leadbelly recorded steadily. He worked on radio, and in 1944 he even tried to break into movies. In 1949 he performed in Paris and was a pioneering trip tp Europe. While in France he was diagnoses with an incurable disease which was progressing rapidly

Leadbelly died in New York in 1949. A year later Pete Seeger and the Weavers made a smash hit with Leadbelly's theme 'Goodnight Irene', the break he has been looking for since the 1930s came just too late.