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Lead Belly: A Life in Pictures

Lead Belly: A Life in Pictures

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Author: Tyehimba Jess
Creators: Glenn O'brien, Tiny Robinson, John Reynolds, Tom Waits
Publisher: Steidl
Category: Book

List Price: $50.00
Buy New: $31.50
You Save: $18.50 (37%)



New (4) Used (5) from $30.23

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 reviews
Sales Rank: 98147

Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.5
Dimensions (in): 11.9 x 9.2 x 1.1

ISBN: 3865214592
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.421643092
EAN: 9783865214591
ASIN: 3865214592

Publication Date: February 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
The influential Louisiana bluesman, Lead Belly, wrote and performed some of the best-loved songs of the twentieth century, including "The Midnight Special," "Rock Island Line" and his signature song, "Goodnight, Irene," which became an international hit in 1950, eight months after his death. John A. Lomax, the esteemed Library of Congress folk music anthropologist, discovered Lead Belly serving time (for assault and murder) at the infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in 1934. He immediately saw that Lead Belly was a walking anthology of African-American music, and arranged for him to come to New York, where he created a sensation. Reporters followed Lead Belly everywhere, theaters clamored to book him and celebrities thronged to his concerts. His influence on a later generation of popular musicians was massive: Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Van Morrison, Robert Plant and Beck have all paid their respects.
Lead Belly: A Life in Pictures is a treasure trove of rare, unpublished photographs, news clippings, concert programs, personal correspondence (including letters from Woody Guthrie), record albums, awards and other memorabilia retrieved only recently from a basement trunk in New York.

Lead Belly, born Huddie Ledbetter on a Louisiana farm in 1888, won international fame as an interpreter of African-American folk songs and blues. For 15 years he performed folk songs, spirituals, blues and ballads to enthusiastic audiences at night clubs, political rallies, universities, concert halls and private parties. In 1988 Lead Belly was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where he was the subject of a major retrospective in 2004.



Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Labor of Love   July 5, 2008
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Many people have loved Lead Belly and his legacy, but none perhaps so much as John Reynolds, one of the listed authors of this book. Although John is listed last of the 4 contributors to the book, this is really his project, and one that he has labored on for many years to bring to fruition. Lead Belly (or Leadbelly) was a seminal force in our understanding of 'American' music, and his influence has informed even those who have never heard of him.

This book is a beauty, and is not meant to be an exhaustive biography, but rather a celebration of the man, his times, his influence, and his music. As such, it succeeds spectacularly. I highly recommend that you search www.youtube.com for Lead Belly videos to accompany your journey through this book. It will add much to the experience, and actually enhance the fact that this book is a wonderful keepsake and motherlode of visual delights and insights in our understanding of this man.

My favorite page was "The Leadbelly Method" by contributor Glenn O'Brien.




5 out of 5 stars Outstanding Pictorial Biography of Lead Belly!   June 26, 2008
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Whether you favor the two-word or the single word version of his name, this pictorial biography of Leadbelly is just outstanding! Truly a labor of love by the authors and it should be well received by all Leadbelly fans as well as by any who are interested in folk-music and blues. Particularly poignant are the photos showing Leadbelly just months before his death holding Alvin Singh and/or his guitar. This book is highly recommended!

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