For those of you who don’t know, Lead Belly (birth name Huddie William Ledbetter) lived nearly 100 years ago. He made some amazing music during his lifetime with skills in both singing and a variety of instruments. Sadly, Lead Belly is no longer with us, but his legacy in the music world is still ever-present. Perhaps the most famous recent moment of Lead Belly history was when Nirvana covered his Where Did You Sleep Last Night song on their monumental MTV Unplugged album, released back in 1994. Lead Belly had an interesting lifetime in rural USA, notably spending a great deal of time serving in prison on multiple occasions, amongst experiencing other hardships. Despite being a lawbreaker, Lead Belly is one of the most important African-American musicians in history. Period. He was often playing 12-string acoustic guitar and singing, which is quite a difficult thing to do indeed. This is part one of a series of compilations of his music during his lifetime. This is a great place to begin listening to this Blues Music legend. Let’s hear this album and we shall see where it takes us.

Daddy I’m Coming Back To You (Take 3) begins with some clanging and rather out-of-tune guitar. However, given the musical context, this is perfectly fine. Lead Belly sings in a deep and emotional voice on this song, and although it is just acoustic guitar and vocals, it does have a great and moving emotional presence musically. A good traditional Blues Music tune that sounds really awesome. This is completely different to any music being made today, and it sounds like more people should hear this music. A really great listening experience, period. It does have a unique flavour musically to it all. Nonetheless, wonderful music to hear and this is deep and emotional listening. A good song to begin with.

Shorty George (Take 2) begins with some distant and interesting acoustic guitar chord progressions. This quickly launches into another good song, which comes across as a good Blues based tale. An excellent and interesting tale about travelling out and about, trying to flee from George, who is a womaniser. A great old-fashioned tale, combining storytelling lyricism and great music, Lead Belly was a true talent of early guitar-based music. His wail-styled singing is not tuneless, but it is raw and full of emotion. A really cool listening experience, this also has some lyrics about doing jail time. Nonetheless, this is superb. A very enjoyable and simple Blues Music piece that still sounds effective well into the 21st century. A really great song, period.

Fannin Street begins with some loose and different 12-string acoustic guitar playing, with some deep and moving Blues singing from Lead Belly. This may be very old-fashioned and traditional sounding, but the music still sounds amazing to this very day. Lead Belly proves his worth throughout a difficult lifetime, singing and playing very well indeed. A super cool, upbeat and energetic listening experience to hear, this sounds splendidly good. A quick story set to music, this is fantastic to hear. There is a guitar solo section with some awesome choppy rhythms that just sounds killer. Really cool to listen to, and this eventually wraps up after two and a half minutes. A musical gem.

Frankie And Albert – First Half begins with some sweet acoustic guitar melodies, and launches into an interesting tale lyrically that is supported by some great guitar playing. Indeed, the original Blues guitarists that were part of the scene musically here made for some minimal yet absolutely wonderful storytelling-styled music. This is no different, and although it is very quirky lyrically, this is a great tune to listen to. An awesome tune about an alcoholic womanizer, this is suspenseful and ingenious listening. A cool song about people who chase women for fun, this is a great listen and a warning about the dangers of cheating. Great to hear.

Frankie And Albert – Completion is exactly what it is, a continuation of the previous track. This is a very strange combination of two tracks that show the immorality of lust. Extremely cool to listen to, this dual song tale is really cool and has a homicidal twist to it all. Nonetheless, this music is very, very good. A worthy addition to this compilation of Lead Belly songs and it sounds as brilliant and interesting to listen to today as it did back in the late 1930s. A really awesome listen throughout, this sounds very, very good. Murder is not something told in such a song format as this, but the music is really impactful. A great sounding song, it has some weird screams at the end of it by Lead Belly. Awesome.

De Kalb Blues begins with some rather out-of-tune guitar, a load of tape hiss and Lead Belly’s wonderful singing. He really sings from the heart and soul on this piece of music, but he sounds really legendary all the same. A great and animated tune that is about women and other pursuits, this is great music if you ever feel like jumping back in time to the World War II era, which was full of poverty and misery. Regardless, Lead Belly delivers an upbeat and interesting song with some great acoustic guitar chops to match. Nonetheless, a really awesome piece of music to listen to, this sounds magical and wonderful throughout. It finishes just before three minutes in length. Well done.

Looky Looky Yonder / Black Betty / Yellow: Woman’s Door Bells (On A Monday) is a medley, of course. It begins with some lone singing and a foot being tapped and launches into a great and suspenseful listening experience. This sounds really cool and interesting music to listen to. A good tune to enjoy with a good set of ears and a great sense of history throughout. The Black Betty section is instantly recognisable, as it has been covered many, many times over the years by different musicians. Regardless, this is a sweet medley throughout. The final song section concludes this piece excellently with some great Blues Music styled singing and wailing to match this medley. A great and adventurous listening experience. Very nice to hear.

The Bourgeois Blues is the sort of name that Marxist-Leninist-Communists would hate for a song. It begins with some oddly tuned guitar chord-based playing and sounds really unusually cool. Lead Belly sings about living the high life with the love of one’s life. This sounds really cool and awesome. Lyrically, it also tackles racism in rural USA, which is sadly still a major issue to this day. It was oddly enough, far worse back then. Some great guitar soloing is present on this tune, and the music is something to be celebrated. A good listen railing against inequality, poverty and racism in one’s country. This is a solidly good listen, all the same. Lead Belly showcases the fact that at the time, it was very difficult for African-Americans (and others in the USA) to make it due to their background culturally. Good song.

Poor Howard / Green Corn starts with some sweet and melodic acoustic guitar playing, which is quite moving. Nonetheless, this music does sound really cool and great. This is an excellent acoustic-driven Blues Music tale that sounds very excellent and listenable and is a great example of music that Lead Belly would make. All in all, this is one of the better pieces of music that Lead Belly made. There is an early finish in this tune, with Lead Belly smacking out some rhythms with his hands, before this piece launches into the glorious second half of this medley. This is an amusing and interesting second half that sounds illuminating and excellent. A worthwhile listen, this definitely sounds upbeat and cool. It ends with a gradual fade out, which is different. Awesome.

The Boll Weevil begins with some good strumming and launches straight into a good and interesting song to listen to. This is about evil women out there who will take everything from men. In any case, this does sound really quite good as a piece of music. It is more of a lyrical tale musically than anything else. Regardless, this is musically uplifting and very entertaining throughout. The verses are very descriptive, and the chorus is short and sweet throughout. In any case, this music is good and interesting to listen to, even if it is merely a one-man band throughout. The music is very listenable and magical throughout. All in all, this does work wonders. A really cool listen throughout. It ends after three minutes in length, a good job overall.

The Gallis Pole is a very popular piece by Lead Belly. It begins with chiming and excellently played acoustic guitars, and launches into a cool tune that is upbeat, with Lead Belly singing nicely in a higher register. The music throughout is a really interesting listening experience and is about being imprisoned, something that Lead Belly knew quite well about, having been sentenced several times to prison during his lifetime. This song is an enjoyable and listenable piece of traditional Blues Music that sounds awesome and neat, to this very day. A very loveable and upbeat song throughout. The guitar soloing in the second half of this piece is really quite awesome. It is also super fast in terms of overall tempo. Lead Belly returns on vocals to conclude this excellent piece of music. It ends around the three-minute mark, great.

Ain’t Goin’ Down To The Well No Mo’ / Go Down Old Hannah begins with a surprisingly clear vocal melody, and has Lead Belly singing powerfully and wonderfully on this tune. He sounds very good, and this lone vocal performance is indeed, very very good. A soulful, wonderful and powerful vocal performance, this is quite unlike anything else recorded. Nonetheless, this is a really good listen through and through. Lead Belly was truly a unique talent of a musician. Although this quite clearly isn’t 21st-century Pop Music material, it still sounds excellent today. All in all, a very explorational and good listen. This ends after three minutes in length but sounds good for its minimalism.

Pick A Bale Of Cotton is a very old-fashioned sounding rural song with some backing singers, along with Lead Belly on vocals and guitar. This is exactly what farmers and those who live in country areas should hear. This is a sweet, awesome and very listenable song about the simple life on a farm, and it really sounds cool. A good oddity to this historical compilation, although it is very repetitive. Each singer takes a solo vocal section here, and the song is better for it. A very awesome and enjoyable listening experience provided you can look past the repetition of this song. Very cool, however. Another good listen, although this probably could have been shortened for the song’s sake. It fades out at the end.

Whoa Back, Buck begins with Lead Belly singing loudly, along with some acoustic guitar and the backing singers returning here. This is a really excellent listening experience, and it does sound very inspired and confrontational. The song here is a country-based tune from Blues Music that sounds really superb. It does sound lyrically nonsensical but is nicely matched by great singing and good acoustic guitar playing. This is great musical history and is a quirky listen from this album. Very weird and the singing throughout is catchy and infectious. A very worthy listening experience. Worth hearing.

Midnight Special begins with some very nice acoustic guitar strumming, and Lead Belly and friends sing very sweetly away. This is another decent and outstanding tune that sounds like a Soul Music piece. This differs from the Blues Music at hand, and Lead Belly and friends showcase a loveable and enjoyable song to listen to. A really pleasant and enjoyable piece of music to listen to, this is sweet and different throughout. This has some themes of violence and other small town ongoing here. Nonetheless, a powerful and enjoyable song to listen to, although it has a tragic storytelling ending. Good to listen to.

Alabama Bound begins with some nice acoustic guitar playing and begins with some faux studio chatter before this song launches into a good piece of music about travelling to the USA state of Alabama. Again, it is Lead Belly on guitar and vocals, with some friends backing up his singing. Another simple, yet excellent song to listen to and enjoy. This is a bit repetitive as well but is catchy and enjoyable enough to sit through. This is good proof that Lead Belly could cover a bunch of different musical styles, just with vocals and acoustic guitar played. Still, the repetition of this song is somewhat annoying. It concludes with some good acoustic guitar playing and studio chatter and singing to fade out.

Rock Island Line begins with some vocals from Lead Belly and friends, which is really cool and enjoyable to listen to. There are Christian overtones in this song and other social observations here. Although this only consists of vocals, it is decent and loveable music to listen to. Good proof of the power of vocals only on a recording, this is a good listening experience through and through. A really cool piece of vocal-based music, and something highly memorable from this album. Two and a half minutes of glorious vocals.

Good Morning Blues begins with some rather gorgeous acoustic guitar playing, and with Lead Belly alone on vocals here. This is very much a storytelling piece, rather than an actual Blues Music song, at first. Soon enough, Lead Belly hits his stride in the chorus nicely here. This is another wonderful listening experience that sounds very much monumental. A good song about heartbreak and other ongoings in one’s life, and is a seriously good musical adventure for its simplicity. Joyous and wonderful to listen to, and it sounds absolutely awesome. It ends just before three minutes is up.

Leaving Blues begins with a fade-in of some moody yet pretty acoustic guitar playing. Soon enough, Lead Belly gets singing very nicely about one’s lady leaving them in the morning. It is a heartbreak-based song that sounds very sad indeed, but musically, works as a treat. In any case, Lead Belly explores a huge amount of music and musical genres throughout. A really excellent song, this is a good vocal-based piece that has Lead Belly exuding pain and sorrow. All the same, this is a really excellent listen. Worth it through and through. It ends with some really great acoustic guitar playing.

T.B. Blues is more Blues Music, this time, played very slowly. Still, it sounds very good. It has Lead Belly on this tune doing some spoken word dialogue present. It is about the tuberculosis disease that was very much prevalent in earlier times than today. A good vocal and set of acoustic guitar playing makes this tune come nicely alive. In times earlier than today, life expectancy was much lower than today, and diseases were rampant. This song illuminates this fact. A bittersweet listening experience, but solidly consistent with the rest of the album. Sure, the music may be too simple for some, but even so, this is very amazing. Worth listening to, it ends with some good singing and clanging acoustic guitar. Great.

Red Cross Store Blues launches straight into a piece of music with acoustic guitars and vocals. This is a good listening experience about (quite possibly) a real-life experience by Lead Belly. In any case, the music present is really awesome to listen to. A fine and fantastic piece of music that is pleasantly enjoyable to listen to, this is exactly the sort of historical music that guitar nerds can enjoy. Great to hear, once again. There is a good guitar soloing-styled section here as well. The music present is really enjoyable to listen to. Another solidly decent and quality tune from Lead Belly, this still sounds magical, to this very day. Nice.

Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On begins with some melodic acoustic guitar work that sounds deep and meaningful. Lead Belly sings well here, and he delivers a good musical statement throughout. Singing about a lady in particular and giving up one’s hard-earned pay for her, this is fairly explicit and is likely about a prostitute or gold digger, in these circumstances. Fairly raw. Even so, with these lyrics, this is a very good listening experience to hear. A good and enjoyable listen nonetheless, this is very much an old man’s tale. Still, worth listening to, despite its rather sexist message.

Roberta begins with some good acoustic guitar strumming and wailing Blues Music styled vocals from Lead Belly. Again, this is music that sounds really different and refreshing. This is consistently wonderful and good listening from nearly a century ago that still sounds awesome to this day. Nonetheless, a song about a pretty lady who ran off after being pursued by the wrong man, at least in her eyes. Great in any case. Although at first listen, these songs may sound the same, they do differ quite a lot. Another three-minute-long story set to music that sounds awesome.

Alberta begins with some dark-sounding acoustic guitar playing and launches into another song that is Blues based and is about a lady of one’s desire. This is another well-played and gorgeously melodic song that is interesting and a great storytale musically of events and other ongoings. Nonetheless, a very good listening experience that sounds timeless. This is a very male-oriented piece musically, but all the same, it works wonderfully. A really cool listen, and this has a solo section on acoustic guitar right at the end of it. Very nice.

I’m On My Last Go-Round is the final track on this album. It begins with some descriptive and dark acoustic guitar playing and sounds quite different from the other songs in this collection. It is about struggling to survive in a world full of injustice and being broke and hungry. All the same, this is very enjoyable music to listen to. Very awesome, upbeat and uptempo, the acoustic guitars and vocals mash up together and sound great. Cool and awesome listening, there is quite a lot of upbeat and quick guitar playing in this song. Great to listen to, this music sounds very superb. There are some harmonies towards the end, along with some deliciously fast acoustic guitar. This album ends here.

This is a really great collection of songs and music that has definitely lasted the test of time. Lead Belly is enshrined as a musical legend here, and deservedly so. His combination of singing and acoustic guitar, along with some guest appearances are legendary. Although perhaps somewhat too simple for some out there, this music sounds really great to this day. This is a slice of history, and we are privileged to hear it. Should you listen to this album? Do give it a go, even if the songs are all fairly similar sounding.

An excellent musical historical listen.

9/10