Kip Lornell
BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR
- Title: The Life And Legend Of Leadbelly
- Description:
HUDDIE LEDBETTER, known to his million f fans simply as Leadbelly, was probably the most famous black folksinger in American history. He was undeniably the first authentic traditional singer to expose the rich and powerful vein of black southern folk music to the American people by reaching back into his past to share his roots with them through the shaping power of his imagination. His songs, such as "Goodnight, Irene" and "Midnight Special", have become an indelible part of American culture, and his music helped lay the foundations for blues, modern folk music, and rock n roll.
But most fans only know an image of Leadbelly, not the complicated personality of the man himself. This book, the first full-length biography, at last renders the read Huddie Ledbetter and his world in full resonant detail. Portrayed by the popular press of the day as a violent murderer who sang his way off the chain gang, Leadbelly was in fact a strong, proud man who believed in the power of his music enough to uproots his family and leave the injustices of the South, only to encounter different frustrations in the streets and clubs of New York. Drawing on a wealth of new archival material, interviews, and previously unknown recordings, Charles Wolfe and Kip Lornell bring Leadbelly to life with rich personal detail that separates the myth from the man and forcefully demonstrates the importance of music to Leadbelly as a tool in his struggles to define himself and his place during a turbulent era in American culture.
