Search - Leadbelly :: Legend of Leadbelly: The Tradition Years

One of the leading icons of the folk world, Leadbelly's songs have become as widely known as any in the history of American folk or popular music, among them, "Goodnight Irene", "Rock Island Line", "Midnight Special", "Take This Hammer", "Boll Weavil" "John Henry" and "Bourgeois Blues". Although Leadbelly died a pauper in Belleview Hospital in 1949, his fame is posthumous; his songs and singing are a powerful part of American folk music. The Tradition recordings were among the first Leadbelly recordings to be made available commercially and rank among his finest work. As part of the ongoing, critically acclaimed "Tradition Years" series, all tracks have been newly remastered with original notes from the Tradition releases included along with restored original cover art of the classic LPs.