MUSICIAN

Lead Belly

1888 - 1949

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Huddie William Ledbetter ( HYOO-dee; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced, including his renditions of "In the Pines" (also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"), "Pick a Bale of Cotton", "Goodnight, Irene", "Midnight Special", "Cotton Fields", and "Boll Weevil". Lead Belly usually played a twelve-string guitar, but he also played the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and windjammer (accordion). In some of his recordings, he sang while clapping his hands or stomping his foot. Lead Belly's songs covered a wide range of genres, including gospel music, blues, and folk music, as well as a number of topics, including women, liquor, prison life, racism, cowboys, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Lead Belly is the 547th most popular musician (up from 682nd in 2019), the 3,160th most popular biography from United States (up from 3,491st in 2019) and the 163rd most popular American Musician.

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Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Lead Belly ranks 547 out of 3,175. Before him are Flea, Tito Puente, Yann Tiersen, Uli Jon Roth, Isao Tomita, and K. K. Downing. After him are Billy Ray Cyrus, Agustín Barrios, Rudolf Serkin, Lucio Battisti, Rudolf Kempe, and Robert Miles.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1888, Lead Belly ranks 89. Before him are Nikolay Shvernik, Prince Axel of Denmark, Gunichi Mikawa, David Jacobs, Alphonse Juin, and Fritz Reiner. After him are Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Richard Courant, Jean Wahl, José Félix Estigarribia, Chōjun Miyagi, and Odile Defraye. Among people deceased in 1949, Lead Belly ranks 69. Before him are Maria Cebotari, Mariano Fortuny, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, Jacques Copeau, Alexey Shchusev, and Vladimir Nazor. After him are Erich von Drygalski, Damaskinos of Athens, Amadeo Giannini, Douglas Hyde, Otto Wächter, and Ginette Neveu.

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Others Deceased in 1949

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Lead Belly ranks 3,160 out of 20,380. Before him are John Leslie (1945), Walter Lantz (1899), Tom Sizemore (1961), Johnny Rebel (1938), Annie Sprinkle (1954), and Robert W. Wood (1868). After him are Billy Ray Cyrus (1961), Natalie Cole (1950), Randy Newman (1943), Nancy Marchand (1928), Raymond E. Feist (1945), and Alice Walton (1949).

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Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Lead Belly ranks 163. Before him are Dennis Wilson (1944), Mike Campbell (1950), Al Di Meola (1954), Cannonball Adderley (1928), Maurice White (1941), and Tito Puente (1923). After him are Billy Ray Cyrus (1961), Nikki Sixx (1958), Erroll Garner (1923), Ellis Marsalis Jr. (1934), Bud Powell (1924), and Dee Dee Ramone (1951).

American born Musicians

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