Etsy - nattyworks Lead Belly American Music History Blues Coffee/Tea Mug

Etsy UK £5.32 Go to Etsy UK Update at 4d ago, first seen in Jan 2025

Description

Huddie Lead Belly Ledbetter (January 20, 1889 - December 6, 1949) Born Huddie William Ledbetter on a plantation near Mooringsport, LA, this master songster & composer became known as the King of the 12 string guitar. His first instrument was the accordion. He was in his early twenties & living with his first wife in neighboring Harrison county, Tx when he first became known for his guitar playing. He regularly entertained audiences in Shreveport & enjoyed considerable notoriety there. It was around this time that he left home to travel, playing guitar & working as a manual laborer. Between 1915 & 1939 he had several encounters with the law, leading to his incarceration in both Texas & Louisiana. Leadbelly was serving at the State Penitentiary in Angola, LA when he was first recorded by folklorist John Lomax & his son Alan in 1933 & 1934. It is said that as a result of their petitioning the governor, he was pardoned & released in the summer of 1934. He went on to work as a driver for John Lomax & soon began recording for the American Record Company. in New York, he gained fame among leftist circles & struck up a friendship with the novelist Richard Wright. in 1939 he returned to prison again for a brief stint. in the early forties he collaborated often with Woody Guthrie, Josh White, Pete Seeger, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry. Lead Belly continued to tour & record for a variety of labels & by 1949 was performing on a weekly radio show in New York city, Folk Songs in America. He passed away later that year. Folk & blues singer, composer & guitar virtuoso, Huddie Ledbetter lived a hard life. His music, spanning the periods before & after the birth of the blues, was the soundtrack of his life. His influence is still felt today across all popular musical genres. He was a musical trailblazer whose legacy can never die. Use this Leadbelly American Music Coffee Tea Mug for your favorite hot drink. .: White ceramic .: 11 oz (0.33 l) .: Rounded corners .: C-handle Lead Belly American Music History Blues Coffee/Tea Mug