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Listen to Alabama Bound (well, 35 seconds of it)

Huddie Ledbetter
Born 21st. January, 1888 - Shiloh, Louisiana
Died 6th. December 1949 - New York, N.Y.

Listen to the "hits" of Leadbelly and you'll think you're listening to the hits of Lonnie Donegan made years earlier. What an influence this man had on the skiffle craze.
Convicted of murder in 1917 he got a pardon in 1925 because he wrote and sang a song pleading for his freedom! 1930, imprisoned again for assault with intent to murder. This was not a man to mess with. Having said that he also wrote the great folk song "Goodnight Irene" so he can't have been all bad.

Listen to 3 VERY different versions of "Goodnight Irene":

The Weavers (1min. 02 secs.)
Bobby Vee (1 min. 04 secs.)
Jerry Lee Lewis (1 min. 03 secs.)

and Leadbelly himself (1 min. 13 secs.)