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Description
Huddie Ledbetter (1889-1949) was a man so full of life he could only be felled by fate. His was one of the loudest voices on record and his playing of the twelve-string guitar belied his physical strength. Here was a man who had worked for years on prison gangs. Years later it was easy for him to dip into this wellspring of stamina to perform for stupefied middle-class white audiences.
He is best remembered for a body of songs that he discovered, adapted or wrote, including "Goodnight Irene", "Rock Island Line", "Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields". But he was also an early example of a folksinger whose background had brought him into direct contact with the oral tradition by which folk music was handed down.
He is usually viewed as a blues singer, but blues (a musical form he actually predated) was only one of the styles that informed his music. He was a profound influence on folk performers of the 1940s such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, who in turn influenced the folk revival, the UK 'skiffle' movement of the '50s, and the development of rock music from the 1960s onward, which made his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 wholly appropriate.
This 4CD, 96 track set features all of his most important recordings, from early field recordings made by John & Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress, through a variety of studio sessions in different locations to a performance from his last major concert at the University of Texas. -
Tracklisting
- 1. Western Cowboy
- 2. Blind Lemon Blues
- 3. Midnight Special
- 4. Irene
- 5. C.C. Rider
- 6. Governoe O.K. Allen
- 7. Julie Ann Johnson
- 8. I'm Sorry Mama
- 9. Take A Whiff Of Me
- 10. Boll Weevil
- 11. The Titanic
- 12. Green Corn
- 13. Po' Howard
- 14. Da Kalb Blues
- 15. Frankie And Albert
- 16. Queen Mary
- 17. The Hindenburg Disaster Part 1
- 18. The Hindenburg Disaster Part 2
- 19. Leaving On The Morning Train Blues
- 20. The Bourgeois Blue
- 1. Roberta Part 1
- 2. Roberta Part 2
- 3. Packin; Trunk Blues
- 4. C.C. Rider
- 5. Becky Deem, She Was A Gamblin' Girl
- 6. Honey, I'm All Out And Down
- 7. Four Day Worry Blues
- 8. You Can't Lose Me, Charlie
- 9. New Black Snake Moan
- 10. Alberta
- 11. Baby, Don't You Love Me No More
- 12. Ox Drivin' Blues
- 13. Death Letter Blues Part 1
- 14. Death Letter Blues Part 2
- 15. Kansas City Papa
- 16. Red River Blues
- 17. Forth Worth And Dallas Blues
- 18. You Don't Know My Mind
- 19. Daddy I'm Coming Back To You
- 20. My Friend Blind Lemon
- 21. Mr. Tom Hughes' Town
- 22. Shorty George
- 23. Matchbox Blues
- 24. Yellow Jacket
- 25. T.B. Woman Blues
- 1. Pig Meat Papa
- 2. Bull Cow
- 3. My Baby Quit Me
- 4. Frankie And Albert Part 1
- 5. Frankie And Albert Part 2
- 6. Poor Howard-Green Corn
- 7. The Gallis Pole
- 8. Pick A Bale Of Cotton
- 9. Whoa Back, Buck
- 10. Midnihgt Special
- 11. Rock Island Line
- 12. Good Morning Blues
- 13. T.B. Blues
- 14. Red Cross Store Blues
- 15. Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On
- 16. I'm On My Last Go-Round
- 17. New York City
- 18. Grey Goose
- 19. Stew Ball
- 20. Take This Hammer
- 21. Can't You Line 'Em
- 22. Ham An' Eggs
- 23. On A Monday
- 24. John Henry
- 25. How Long
- 26. Ain't You Glad
- 1. John Hardy
- 2. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
- 3. Pretty Flowers In Your Backyard
- 4. In New Orleans
- 5. Outskirts Of Town
- 6. Mother's Blues (Little Children Blues)
- 7. In The Evenin' When The Sun Goes Down
- 8. Jim Crow Blues
- 9. Mr Hitler
- 10. Corn Bread Rough
- 11. Ella Speed
- 12. Rock Island Line
- 13. Tell Me Baby
- 14. Take This Hammer
- 15. Irene (Goodnight Irene)
- 16. On A Christmas Day
- 17. Backwater Blues
- 18. Eagle Rock Rag
- 19. Sweet Mary Blues
- 20. Grasshoppers In My Pillow
- 21. Diggin' My Potatoes
- 22. Defense Blues
- 23. Easy Rider
- 24. Pigmeat
- 25. Howard Hughes
- 26. Shine On Me
Disc 1
Side 1
Disc 2
Disc 3
Disc 4
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