I don’t sleep a whole lot. I think I’ve brought that up here before. I don’t know what the deal is. As soon as the lights go out and I’m alone in the dark, my brain starts running on high. I guess I just don’t have the ability to naturally turn off. Sometimes music helps. The trouble is you gotta find the right tracks or you might find yourself worse off than when you started. Nothing like a drawn out Bob Dylan track to get you thinking on shit you don’t fully understand. Next thing you know it’s 4AM and you are starring at the ceiling trying to figure out “who you are”. You gotta find the sweet spot. Few artists are in that sweet spot. This week’s legend is one of the few that help me out as sleep eludes. This week ARTIST OF THE WEEK: LEGEND is Lead Belly aka Leadbelly. The spelling has been up for debate for some time. I think it’s that analog white noise hiss that gets me. Something about it gets me to slow down. I love that hiss. It’s comforting like nothing else I know. Good Night Irene is in heavy rotation come night night time.
Born in January of 1888 Lead Belly (Huddie William Ledbetter) spent much of his early life in the racially segregated South. The post Civil War South is a region that I find infinitely fascinating. While life was terrible for many, it was a time where one could get lost entirely. If you were in downfall, from the stories I’ve read, it seems you could really disappear. That’s the thing about the rambling lifestyle that’s always appealed to me. One minute you’re playing harmonica outside of New Orleans, poor as all get out, then after a quick rail ride, you’re sweeping out front of a record store in Chicago for studio time. Sure it isn’t the most stable career path, but damnit if the idea of being able to mix it up every few months isn’t appealing. There is no lock-down. Anything is possible.
This lifestyle was not lost on Lead Belly. The man was a wildcard. Sure he attempted to live the straight and narrow for the first
twenty or so years of his life, but then he got squirrelly. Was busted for carrying a pistol in 1915, was sent away again in 1918 for killing a man. He ended up back in jail in 1930 for attempted homicide and then again in 1938 for stabbing a guy. It was during one of these several stints in jail when he was discovered by John and Alan Lomax. They recorded him for the Library of Congress while he s was still incarcerated in 1934. The songs included:
Midnight Special, Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In, Let It Shine on Me, The Titanic, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, Go Down Old Hannah.
The Lomax boys found Lead Belly to be a great resource for the songs of the South. Not only was his catalogue of southern folk and gospel astounding but the guy could play nearly every instrument he got his hands on. Sure he was noted for the 12-String guitar, but he also had his way with the 6-String, harp, mandolin, and accordion.
Later in life Lead Belly began touring with Alan Lomax. Alan would speak about his travels throughout the South, Lead Belly would play the classics. Introducing thousands to a sound they would have never known. Lead Belly became renowned as a premiere folk musician. Prior to his first European tour in 1949 he was diagnosed with ALS. His health rapidly declined and he died later that year.
I got into Lead Belly after hearing his songs cover by my favorite artists. The most famous of these covers was featured in MTV’s Nirvana Unplugged as Nirvana and members of the Meat Puppets played Where Did You Sleep Last Night. The song is haunting.
Cobain even talks of trying to convince David Geffen to buy him one of Lead Belly’s guitars.
I love Lead Belly. His life was crazy and at times violent, yet his voice and music soothe me, when I need to be soothed. It’s my comfort. I wish more music could accomplish what Lead Belly does. Check him out. You’ll love it.
Big Hugs,
Kelly
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