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97-654: Originating as a form in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, it became extremely popular in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, where it was played by such artists as Lonnie Donegan , the Vipers Skiffle Group , Ken Colyer , and Chas McDevitt . Skiffle was a major part of the early careers of some musicians who later became prominent in other genres, including the Quarrymen (who were later renamed

194-488: A BBC tribute in 1999, which marked the 50th anniversary of Lead Belly's death, Van Morrison – while sitting alongside Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones – claimed that the British popular music scene of the 1960s wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Lead Belly's influence. "I'd put my money on that," he said. Wood concurred. Indian singer Bhupen Hazarika —who was, in general, influenced by spirituals during his days as

291-506: A Lead Belly record with the song ' Cotton Fields ' on it. And that record changed my life right then and there. Transported me into a world I'd never known. It was like an explosion went off. Like I'd been walking in darkness and all of the sudden the darkness was illuminated. It was like somebody laid hands on me. I must have played that record a hundred times." Dylan also pays homage to him in " Song to Woody " on his self-titled debut album . Lead Belly recordings were instrumental in starting

388-518: A band formed by Chris Barber . Lonnie Donegan played banjo for the Jazzmen, and also performed skiffle music during intervals. He would sing and play guitar with accompaniment of two other members, usually on washboard and tea-chest bass . They played a variety of American folk and blues songs, particularly those derived from the recordings of Lead Belly , in a lively style that emulated American jug bands . These were listed on posters as "skiffle" breaks,

485-470: A fearsome scar the musician covered with a bandana). Lead Belly nearly killed his attacker at the time with his own knife. In 1925, he was pardoned and released after writing a song to Texas Governor Pat Morris Neff seeking his freedom, having served the minimum seven years of a 7-to-35-year sentence. He was credited with good behavior, which included entertaining the guards and fellow prisoners. He also appealed for mercy to Neff's known religious beliefs. It

582-537: A late renaissance when in 2000 he appeared on Van Morrison 's album The Skiffle Sessions – Live in Belfast 1998 , an acclaimed album featuring him singing with Morrison and Chris Barber, with a guest appearance by Dr John . Donegan also played at the Glastonbury Festival in 1999, and was made an MBE in 2000. Donegan also appeared at Fairport Convention 's annual music festival on 9 August 2001. His final CD

679-473: A management contract with Lead Belly, was not able to arrange concert dates. In March 1935, Lead Belly accompanied John Lomax on a previously scheduled two-week lecture tour of colleges and universities in the Northeast, culminating at Harvard . At the end of the month, John Lomax decided he could no longer work with Lead Belly. He gave him and Martha enough money to return by bus to Louisiana. He also gave Martha

776-514: A mess of any business, is attested from 1873. In early 20th century America the term skiffle was one of many slang phrases for a rent party , a social event with a small charge designed to pay rent on a house. It was first recorded in Chicago in the 1920s and may have been brought there as part of the African-American migration to northern industrial cities. The first use of the term on record

873-623: A million copies worldwide. The Acoustic Music organization makes this comment about Donegan's "Rock Island Line". "It flew up the English charts. Donegan had synthesized American Southern Blues with simple acoustic instruments: acoustic guitar, washtub bass and washboard rhythm. The new style was called 'Skiffle' .... and referred to music from people with little money for instruments. The new style captivated an entire generation of post-war youth in England." After splitting from Barber, Donegan went on to make

970-498: A name suggested by Ken Colyer's brother Bill after recalling the Dan Burley Skiffle Group. Soon the breaks were as popular as the traditional jazz. After disagreements in 1954, Colyer left to form a new outfit, and the band became Chris Barber's Jazz Band. The first British recordings of skiffle were carried out by Colyer's new band in 1954, but it was the release by Decca of two skiffle tracks by Barber's Jazz Band under

1067-561: A notorious red-light district . He began to develop his own style of music after exposure to the various musical influences on Shreveport's Fannin Street, a row of saloons, brothels, and dance halls in the Bottoms. This area is now referred to as Ledbetter Heights. Between 1915 and 1939, Ledbetter served several prison and jail terms in Louisiana for a variety of criminal charges. Notably, in 1918 under

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1164-673: A number of topics, including women, liquor, prison life, racism, cowboys, work, sailors, cattle herding, and dancing. He also wrote songs about people in the news, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt , Adolf Hitler , Jean Harlow , Jack Johnson , the Scottsboro Boys and Howard Hughes . Lead Belly was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Though many releases credit him as "Leadbelly", he wrote his name as "Lead Belly". This

1261-547: A piano-like sound. Scholars have suggested much of his guitar playing was inspired equally by barrelhouse piano and the Mexican Bajo Sexto , a type of guitar that he encountered in Texas and Louisiana. Lead Belly's tunings are debated by both modern and contemporary musicians and blues enthusiasts alike, but it seems to be a down-tuned variant of standard tuning. Footage of his chording is scarce, so trying to decode his chords

1358-495: A regular on Lomax and Nicholas Ray 's groundbreaking CBS radio show Back Where I Come From , broadcast nationwide. He also performed in nightclubs with Josh White , becoming a fixture in New York City's surging folk music scene and befriending the likes of Sonny Terry , Brownie McGhee , Woody Guthrie , and Pete Seeger , all fellow performers on Back Where I Come From . In 1940, Lead Belly recorded for RCA Victor, one of

1455-460: A revival of the 1920 musical Mr Cinders . More concert tours followed, with a move from Florida to Spain. In 1992 he had further bypass surgery following another heart attack. In 1994, the Chris Barber band celebrated 40 years with a tour with both bands. Pat Halcox was still on trumpet (a position he retained until July 2008). The reunion concert and the tour were on CD and DVD. Donegan had

1552-415: A series of popular records as "Lonnie Donegan's Skiffle Group", with successes including " Cumberland Gap " (1957), " Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour " (1958) and " My Old Man's a Dustman " (1960). It was the success of Donegan's "Rock Island Line" and the lack of a need for expensive instruments or high levels of musicianship that set off the British skiffle craze. A few bands enjoyed chart success in

1649-433: A six-minute Alan Lomax interview. George Ezra developed his singing style from trying to sing like Lead Belly. "On the back of the record, it said his voice was so big, you had to turn your record player down," Ezra says. "I liked the idea of singing with a big voice, so I tried it, and I could." In 2015, in celebration of Lead Belly's 125th birthday, several events were held. The Kennedy Center , in collaboration with

1746-472: A son and a daughter (Anthony and Juanita) with his second wife, Jill Westlake (divorced 1971), and three sons (Peter, David and Andrew) with his third wife, Sharon whom he married in 1977. Lonnie Donegan died on 3 November 2002, aged 71, after having a heart attack in Market Deeping , Lincolnshire mid-way through a UK tour, and before he was due to perform at a memorial concert for George Harrison with

1843-502: A standard guitar, increasing the tension on the instrument, which, given the added tension of the six extra strings, meant that a trapeze-style tailpiece was needed to help resist bridge lifting. It had slotted tuners and ladder bracing. Lead Belly played with finger picks much of the time, using a thumb pick to provide walking bass lines described as "tricky" and "inventive", and occasionally to strum. This technique, combined with low tunings and heavy strings, gives many of his recordings

1940-648: A student in the US—transcreated Lead Belly's singing of "We're in the Same Boat Brother" into the Assamese language as " Ami ekekhon nawore zatri " (আমি একেখন নাৱৰে যাত্ৰী). Later, he also released a Bengali language version as " Mora jatri eki toronir " (মোরা যাত্রী একই তরণীর). In 2001 English-Canadian blues singer Long John Baldry released his final studio album, Remembering Leadbelly . It contains cover versions of Lead Belly songs, and features

2037-597: A studio guitar player on Merrywood Drive in Laurel Canyon. Later he returned to New York City. In 1949, Lead Belly had a regular radio show, Folk Songs of America , broadcast on station WNYC in New York, on Henrietta Yurchenco 's show on Sunday nights. Later in the year he began his first European tour with a trip to France, but fell ill before its completion and was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig 's disease (a motor neuron disease). Lead Belly

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2134-500: A summary trial for attempted homicide for stabbing a man in a fight. In 1939, Lead Belly served his final jail term for assault after stabbing a man in a fight in Manhattan . There are several conflicting stories about how Ledbetter acquired the nickname "Lead Belly", it probably happened while he was in prison. Some claim his fellow inmates called him "Lead Belly" as a play on his family name and his physical toughness. Others say he earned

2231-650: A tea-chest bass, with " John Henry " on the B-side . It was a hit in 1956 (which also later inspired the creation of a full album, An Englishman Sings American Folk Songs , released in America on the Mercury label in the early 1960s), but because it was a band recording, Donegan made no money beyond his session fee. It was the first debut record to go gold in the UK, and it reached the Top Ten in

2328-400: A trend of groups wishing to "play down that word skiffle", considering it limiting. By the end of 1958, the boom was over as enthusiasts either abandoned music for more stable employment or moved into some of the forms of music that it had first suggested, including folk, blues and rock and roll. As a result, it has been seen as a critical stepping stone to the second folk revival, blues boom and

2425-457: A while on Chiswick Mall in Middlesex . As a child growing up in the early 1940s Donegan listened mostly to swing jazz and vocal acts, and became interested in the guitar. Country & western and blues records, particularly by Frank Crumit and Josh White , attracted his interest and he bought his first guitar at 14 in 1945. He learned songs such as " Frankie and Johnny ", " Puttin' On

2522-515: A younger man in Louisiana he had sung regularly at children's birthday parties in the black community). Black novelist Richard Wright wrote about him as a heroic figure in the Daily Worker , of which Wright was the Harlem editor. The two men became personal friends. In contrast to Wright, who was then a communist, commentators described Lead Belly as apolitical. He was known to support Wendell Willkie ,

2619-494: Is difficult. It is likely that he tuned his guitar strings relative to one another, so that the actual notes shifted as the strings wore. Such down-tuning was a common technique before the development of truss rods , and was intended to prevent the instrument's neck from warping. Lead Belly's playing style was popularized by Pete Seeger , who adopted the twelve-string guitar in the 1950s and released an instructional LP and book using Lead Belly as an exemplar of technique. In some of

2716-549: Is honored with a statue across from the Caddo Parish Courthouse, in Shreveport . Lead Belly's niece, activist Greshun De Bouse, founded National Huddie Ledbetter Day (August 1 annually), and received proclamations from the mayors of Oil City-where Lead Belly worked, LA and Shreveport, LA in 2023. Lead Belly was imprisoned multiple times beginning in 1915, when he was convicted of carrying a pistol, and sentenced to time on

2813-485: Is most likely to have led to the nickname. Huddie William Ledbetter from Shreveport, became Huddie Weem Leadbelly from Freeport. Lead Belly styled himself "King of the Twelve-String Guitar", and despite his use of other instruments, such as the accordion, the most enduring image of Lead Belly as a performer is wielding his unusually large Stella twelve-string. This guitar had a slightly longer scale length than

2910-514: Is recorded as age 19 and married one year. Others say she was 15 when they married in 1908. Ledbetter received his first instrument in Texas, an accordion , from his uncle Terrell. By his early twenties, having fathered at least two children, Ledbetter left home to make his living as a guitarist and occasional laborer. By 1903, Huddie was already a "musicianer", a singer and guitarist of some note. He performed to Shreveport audiences in St. Paul's Bottoms,

3007-651: Is shown in the (entirely fictional) final scene generously allowing her to make one last appearance on stage. Most of the above records were accredited to Lonnie Donegan; except, as follows: † Billed as the Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group ‡ Billed as Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group ¶ Billed as Lonnie Donegan meets Miki & Griff with the Lonnie Donegan Group ↑ Billed as Lonnie Donegan and his Group ↓ Billed as Lonnie Donegan and Wally Stott's Orchestra ♠ Billed as Miki and Griff with

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3104-576: Is the spelling on his tombstone and is used by the Lead Belly Foundation. The younger of two children, Lead Belly was born Huddie William Ledbetter to Sallie Brown and Wesley Ledbetter on a plantation near Mooringsport, Louisiana . On his World War II draft registration card in 1942, he gave his birthplace as Freeport, Louisiana ("Shreveport"). There is uncertainty over his precise date and year of birth. The Lead Belly Foundation gives his birth date as January 20, 1889, his grave marker gives

3201-577: The British Invasion of the US popular music scene. Donegan continued his career in skiffle until his death in 2002. It has been estimated that in the late 1950s, there were 30,000–50,000 skiffle groups in Britain. Sales of guitars grew rapidly, and other musicians were able to perform on improvised bass and percussion in venues such as church halls and cafes and in the flourishing coffee bars of Soho , London, like

3298-450: The Dan Burley Skiffle Group of the 1930s. In 1954 Colyer left and the band became Chris Barber's Jazz Band. With a washboard , tea-chest bass , and a cheap Spanish guitar, Donegan played folk and blues songs by artists such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie . This proved popular and in July 1954 he recorded a fast version of Lead Belly's " Rock Island Line ", featuring a washboard but not

3395-589: The Encyclopedia of the Blues gives January 20, 1888. His parents had cohabited for several years. They married on February 26, 1888, perhaps after his birth that year. When Huddie was five years old, the family settled in Bowie County, Texas . By the 1910 census of Harrison County, Texas , "Hudy Ledbetter" was living next door to his parents in a separate household with his first wife, Aletha "Lethe" Henderson. Aletha

3492-691: The Grammy Museum held Lead Belly at 125: A Tribute to an American Songster, a musical event featuring Robert Plant , Alison Krauss , and Buddy Miller with Viktor Krauss as headliners and Dom Flemons as host, with special appearances by Lucinda Williams , Alvin Youngblood Hart , Billy Hector , Valerie June , Shannon McNally , Josh White Jr. , and Dan Zanes , among others. Also in Washington, D.C., Bourgeois Town: Lead Belly in Washington DC by

3589-554: The Library of Congress was held where Todd Harvey interviewed Lead Belly family members about their relative, his contributions to American culture and world music and an overview of the significant Lead Belly materials in the center's archive. In London, England, the Royal Albert Hall held Lead Belly Fest , a musical event featuring Van Morrison , Eric Burdon , Jools Holland , Billy Bragg , Paul Jones , and more. Influenced by

3686-754: The Royal Festival Hall they opened for the blues musician Lonnie Johnson . Donegan adopted his first name as a tribute. He used the name at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 2 June 1952. In 1953 cornetist Ken Colyer was imprisoned in New Orleans for a visa problem. He returned to Britain and joined Chris Barber's band. They changed the name to Ken Colyer's Jazzmen and made their first public appearance on 11 April 1953 in Copenhagen . The following day, Chris Albertson recorded Ken Colyer's Jazzmen and

3783-565: The " Deep South " of Brighton and finds an "obscure folk song hidden at the top of the American hit parade", re-records it and reaches number one in the UK. David Letterman pretended to try to remember Jimmy Fallon 's name during the Tonight Show conflict between Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien , calling Fallon "Lonnie Donegan." In the 2019 movie Judy , the actor John Dagleish portrays Lonnie Donegan, who replaces an ill Judy Garland . He

3880-427: The 1940s. Skiffle was a relatively obscure genre, and it might have been largely forgotten if not for its revival in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and the success of its main proponent, Lonnie Donegan . British skiffle grew out of the developing post-war British jazz scene, which saw a move away from swing music and towards trad jazz . Among these bands were Bill Bailey Skiffle Group and Ken Colyer 's Jazzmen,

3977-845: The 2i's Coffee Bar , the Cat's Whisker and nightspots like Coconut Grove and Churchill's, without having to aspire to musical perfection or virtuosity. A large number of British musicians began their careers playing skiffle in this period, and some became leading figures in their fields. These included leading Northern Irish musician Van Morrison and British blues pioneer Alexis Korner , as well as Ronnie Wood , Alex Harvey and Mick Jagger ; folk musicians Martin Carthy , John Renbourn and Ashley Hutchings ; rock musicians Roger Daltrey , Jimmy Page , Ritchie Blackmore , Robin Trower and David Gilmour ; and popular Beat-music successes Graham Nash and Allan Clarke of

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4074-521: The 50 albums most influential in the formation of Nirvana's sound. It was included in NME 's "The 100 Greatest Albums You've Never Heard list". Ram Jam , an American rock band, had a hit with the song " Black Betty " which they remade as a rock song in 1977. "Black Betty" was recorded by Lead Belly in 1939. Bob Dylan credits Lead Belly for getting him into folk music. In his Nobel Prize Lecture, Dylan said "somebody – somebody I'd never seen before – handed me

4171-551: The 67-year-old in his folk song collecting around the South. Son Alan Lomax was ill and did not accompany his father on this trip. In December 1934, Lead Belly participated in a "smoker" (group sing) at a Modern Language Association meeting at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania , where the senior Lomax had a prior lecture engagement. He was written up in the press as a convict who had sung his way out of prison. On New Year's Day, 1935,

4268-473: The American South in the early decades of the 20th century. They used instruments such as the washboard , jugs , washtub bass , cigar-box fiddle , musical saw and comb-and-paper kazoos , as well as more conventional instruments, such as acoustic guitar and banjo . The origin of the English word skiffle is unknown. However, in the dialect of the west of England to make a skiffle , meaning to make

4365-606: The Beatles ) and Rory Gallagher . The skiffle style has been seen as a critical stepping stone to the second British folk revival , the British blues boom , and the British Invasion of American popular music. The origins of skiffle are obscure but generally thought to lie in African-American musical culture in the early 20th century. Skiffle is often said to have developed from New Orleans jazz, but this claim has been disputed. Improvised jug bands playing blues and jazz were common across

4462-442: The British skiffle revival , which in turn produced several musicians prominent during the British Invasion . Lonnie Donegan 's recording of " Rock Island Line ", released as a single in late 1955, signaled the start of the skiffle craze. George Harrison of The Beatles was quoted as saying, "if there was no Lead Belly, there would have been no Lonnie Donegan; no Lonnie Donegan, no Beatles. Therefore no Lead Belly, no Beatles." In

4559-592: The Harrison County chain gang . He later escaped and found work in nearby Bowie County under the assumed name of Walter Boyd. In January 1918, he was imprisoned at the Imperial Farm (now Central Unit ) in Sugar Land, Texas , after being convicted of killing a relative, Will Stafford, in a fight over a woman. During his second prison term, Lead Belly was stabbed in the neck by another inmate. (The wound resulted in

4656-589: The Hollies . Most notably, the Beatles developed from John Lennon 's 1957 skiffle group the Quarrymen ; Paul McCartney was added after a few months and George Harrison joined in 1958. Similarly, the Bee Gees developed from Barry Gibb 's skiffle group The Rattlesnakes . During summer 1970, the skiffle-like song " In the Summertime " by British band Mungo Jerry reached the top of the charts in several countries around

4753-580: The Lomaxes published about Lead Belly in the fall of 1936 proved a commercial failure. In January 1936, Lead Belly returned to New York on his own, without John Lomax, in an attempted comeback. He performed twice a day at Harlem's Apollo Theater during the Easter season. He developed a live dramatic recreation of the March of Time newsreel (itself a recreation), which was about his prison encounter with John Lomax, when he

4850-515: The Lonnie Donegan Group Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter ( / ˈ h j uː d i / HYOO -dee ; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly (not Leadbelly), 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

4947-556: The Monty Sunshine Trio—Sunshine, Barber, and Donegan—for Storyville Records . These were amongst Donegan's first commercial recordings. While in Ken Colyer 's Jazzmen with Chris Barber , Donegan sang and played guitar and banjo in their Dixieland set. He began playing with two other band members during the intervals, to provide what posters called a "skiffle" break, a name suggested by Ken Colyer's brother, Bill, after

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5044-502: The Pines ", "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 . 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

5141-504: The Rolling Stones . He had cardiac problems since the 1970s and several heart attacks. Mark Knopfler released a tribute to Lonnie Donegan titled "Donegan's Gone" on his 2004 album, Shangri-La , and said he was one of his greatest influences. Donegan's music formed a musical starring his two sons. Lonnie D – The Musical took its name from the Chas & Dave tribute song which started

5238-597: The South as a project to preserve traditional music for the Library of Congress. This was one of numerous cultural projects during the Great Depression. Deeply impressed by Ledbetter's vibrant tenor and extensive repertoire, the Lomaxes recorded him in 1933 on portable aluminum disc recording equipment for the Library of Congress project. They returned with new and better equipment in July 1934, recording hundreds of his songs. While in prison, Lead Belly may have first heard

5335-547: The Style " single was number one in the UK in July 1957, when Lennon first met Paul McCartney . His Skiffle rendition of Hank Snow's Country song " Nobody's Child " was also the inspiration for Tony Sheridan 's blues version which he recorded with the Beatles as his backing band. Donegan went on to successes such as " Cumberland Gap " and " Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?) ", his biggest hit in

5432-533: The Style ", and " The House of the Rising Sun " by listening to BBC radio broadcasts. By the end of the 1940s he was playing guitar around London and visiting small jazz clubs. Donegan first played in a major band after Chris Barber heard that he was a good banjo player and, on a train, asked him to audition. Donegan had never played the banjo but he bought one for the audition and succeeded more on personality than talent. His stint with Barber's trad jazz band

5529-556: The US, on Dot . He turned to music hall style with " My Old Man's a Dustman " which was not well received by skiffle fans and unsuccessful in America on Atlantic in 1960, but it reached number one in the UK. Donegan's group had a flexible line-up, but was generally Denny Wright or Les Bennetts, playing lead guitar and singing harmony, Micky Ashman or Pete Huggett—later Steve Jones—on upright bass , Nick Nichols—later Pete Appleby, Mark Goodwin, and Ken Rodway on drums or percussion, and Donegan playing acoustic guitar or banjo and singing

5626-518: The United States and had quadruple bypass surgery. He returned to attention in 1978 when he recorded his early songs with Rory Gallagher , Ringo Starr , Elton John , and Brian May . The album was called Putting on the Style . A follow-up featuring Albert Lee saw Donegan in less familiar country and western vein. By 1980, he was making regular concert appearances again, and another album with Barber followed. In 1983, Donegan toured with Billie Jo Spears , and in 1984 he made his theatrical debut in

5723-636: The United States on the Perry Como Show and the Paul Winchell Show . Returning to the UK, he recorded his debut album, Lonnie Donegan Showcase , in summer 1956, with songs by Lead Belly and Leroy Carr , plus " Ramblin' Man " and " Wabash Cannonball ". The LP sold hundreds of thousands. The skiffle style encouraged amateurs and one of many groups that followed was the Quarrymen , formed in March 1957 by John Lennon . Donegan's " Gamblin' Man "/" Puttin' On

5820-514: The United States. The Acoustic Music organisation made this comment about Donegan's "Rock Island Line": "It flew up the English charts. Donegan had synthesized American southern blues with simple acoustic instruments: acoustic guitar, washtub bass, and washboard rhythm. The new style was called 'Skiffle'.... and referred to music from people with little money for instruments. The new style captivated an entire generation of post-war youth in England." His next single for Decca , "Diggin' My Potatoes",

5917-408: The article as his manager). Other photos showed Lead Belly's hands playing the guitar (with the caption "these hands once killed a man"), Texas Governor Pat M. Neff , and the "ramshackle" Texas State Penitentiary. The article attributes both of his pardons to his singing his petitions to the governors, who were so moved that they pardoned him. The article closed by saying that Lead Belly "may well be on

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6014-533: The biggest record companies at the time. These sessions in California were held on June 15 and 17, with the Golden Gate Quartet accompanying some songs. The recordings resulted in the album, The Midnight Special and Other Southern Prison Songs , being issued by Victor Records . The album included sheets with extensive notes and song texts prepared by Alan Lomax. According to Charles Wolfe and Kip Lornell, "it

6111-519: The brink of a new and prosperous period." Lead Belly failed to stir the enthusiasm of Harlem audiences. Instead, he attained success playing at concerts and benefits for an audience of folk music aficionados. He developed his own style of singing and explaining his repertoire in the context of Southern black culture, having learned from his participation in Lomax's college lectures. He was especially successful with his repertoire of children's game songs (as

6208-476: The broadcasting of the BBC TV programme Six-Five Special from 1957. It was the first British youth music programme, using a skiffle song as its title music and showcasing many skiffle acts. However, the British rock and roll scene was starting to take off, producing home-grown stars like Tommy Steele , Marty Wilde and Cliff Richard and the Shadows (themselves originally involved in skiffle). By February 1958, Pete Murray , host of Six-Five Special , noted

6305-408: The broader UK skiffle movement. Donegan had 31 UK top 30 hit singles , 24 were successive hits and three were number one. He was the first British male singer with two US top 10 hits. Donegan received an Ivor Novello lifetime achievement award in 1995 and in 2000 he was made an MBE . Donegan was a pivotal figure in the British Invasion due to his influence in the US in the late 1950s. Donegan

6402-439: The centrist Republican candidate for president, for whom he wrote a campaign song. Lead Belly also wrote the song " The Bourgeois Blues ", which has class-conscious and anti-racist lyrics. In 1939, Lead Belly was convicted and sentenced again to prison. Alan Lomax, then 24, took him under his wing and helped raise money for his legal expenses, dropping out of graduate school to do so. After gaining release, Lead Belly appeared as

6499-402: The lead. His last hit single on the UK chart was his cover version of " Pick a Bale of Cotton ." His fall from the chart coincided with the rise of The Beatles and the other beat music performers whom he inspired. Donegan recorded sporadically during the 1960s, including sessions at Hickory Records in Nashville with Charlie McCoy , Floyd Cramer , and the Jordanaires . After 1964 he

6596-487: The legacy of Lead Belly, and some modern rock audiences owe their familiarity with Lead Belly to Nirvana's performance of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (which Lead Belly called " In the Pines ") on a televised concert later released as MTV Unplugged in New York . Cobain refers to his attempt to convince David Geffen to purchase Lead Belly's guitar for him in an interval before the song is played. In his notebooks, Cobain listed Lead Belly's Last Session Vol. 1 as one of

6693-440: The local New York City market. He later founded Folkways Records . Between 1941 and 1944, Lead Belly released three albums under the Asch Recordings label. During the first half of the 1940s, Lead Belly also recorded for the Library of Congress . Lead Belly frequently performed Southern Blues at concerts by Si-lan Chen . In 1944 he went to California, where he recorded strong sessions for Capitol Records . He lodged with

6790-502: The money her husband had earned during three months of performing, but in installments, on the pretext that Lead Belly would spend it all on drinking if he was given a lump sum. From Louisiana, Lead Belly successfully sued Lomax for both the full amount of his earnings and release from his management contract. The quarrel was bitter, with hard feelings on both sides. In the midst of the legal wrangling, Lead Belly wrote to Lomax proposing they team up again, but this did not happen. The book that

6887-462: The name after being wounded in the stomach with buckshot . Another theory is that the name refers to his ability to drink moonshine , the homemade liquor that Southern farmers, black and white, made to supplement their incomes. Blues singer Big Bill Broonzy thought it came from a supposed tendency to lie about as if "with a stomach weighted down by lead" in the shade when the chain gang was supposed to be working. However, his strong local accent

6984-480: The name of Walter Boyd, he was convicted of murder in Texas and sentenced to 30 years in prison. After writing a song pleading for clemency Ledbetter was pardoned by Governor Pat Morris Neff in 1925. Thirty years after starting his music career, he was "discovered" in Angola Penitentiary during a 1933 visit by folklorists John Lomax and his son Alan Lomax . They were recording varieties of local music in

7081-523: The name of the "Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group" that transformed the fortunes of skiffle in late 1955. Donegan's fast-tempo version of Lead Belly 's " Rock Island Line " was a major hit in 1956, featuring a washboard (but not a tea-chest bass), with " John Henry " on the B-side. It spent eight months in the Top 20, peaking at No. 6 (and No. 8 in the U.S.). It was the first debut record to go gold in Britain, selling over

7178-530: The original Chris Barber band for a concert in Croydon in June 1975. A bomb scare meant that the recording had to be finished in the studio, after an impromptu concert in the car park. The release was titled The Great Re-Union Album . He collaborated with Rory Gallagher on several songs, notably "Rock Island Line" with Gallagher performing most of the elaborate guitar work. He had his first heart attack in 1976 while in

7275-828: The pair arrived in New York City, where Lomax was scheduled to meet with his publisher, Macmillan , about a new collection of folk songs. The newspapers were eager to write about the "singing convict". Time magazine made one of its first March of Time newsreels about him. Lead Belly attained fame — although not fortune. On January 23–25, 1935, Lead Belly had the first of several recording sessions with American Record Corporation (ARC). These sessions, combined with two others on February 5 and March 25, yielded 53 takes. Of those recordings, only six were ever released during Lead Belly's lifetime. ARC decided to simultaneously release these songs on six different labels they owned: Banner, Melotone, Oriole, Perfect, Romeo, and Paramount. These recordings achieved little commercial success. Part of

7372-665: The reason for the poor sales may have been that ARC released only his blues songs rather than the folk songs for which he would later become better known. Lead Belly continued to struggle financially. Like many performers, what income he made during his career came from touring, not from record sales. In February 1935, he married his girlfriend, Martha Promise, who came North from Louisiana to join him. During February Ledbetter recorded his repertoire with Alan Lomax, who also recorded other African Americans. Lomax interviewed Ledbetter about his life for their forthcoming book, Negro Folk Songs As Sung by Lead Belly (1936). But his father, who had

7469-540: The recordings in which Lead Belly accompanied himself, he made an unusual type of grunt between his verses, sometimes described as "haah!" Songs such as "Looky Looky Yonder", " Take This Hammer ", "Linin' Track", and "Julie Ann Johnson" feature this unusual vocalization. In "Take This Hammer", Lead Belly explained: "Every time the men say, 'Haah,' the hammer falls. The hammer rings, and we swing, and we sing." The "haah" sound can also be heard in work chants sung by Southern railroad section workers, " gandy dancers ", in which it

7566-564: The show. Subsequently, Peter Donegan formed a band to perform his father's material and has since linked with his father's band from the last 30 years with newcomer Eddie Masters on bass. They made an album together in 2009 titled Here We Go Again . Lonnie Donegan's eldest son, Anthony, also formed his own band, as Lonnie Donegan Junior, who also performed "World Cup Willie" for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. On his album A Beach Full of Shells , Al Stewart paid tribute to Donegan in

7663-582: The sinking of the Titanic in April 1912, Ledbetter wrote the song "The Titanic", his first composition on the twelve-string guitar, which later became his signature instrument. Initially played when performing with Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893–1929) in and around Dallas , Texas, the song is about champion African-American boxer Jack Johnson 's being denied passage on the Titanic . Johnson had in fact been denied passage on

7760-624: The skiffle craze, including the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group (" Freight Train "), Johnny Duncan and the Bluegrass Boys, and the Vipers , but the main impact of skiffle was as a grassroots amateur movement, particularly popular among working class men, who could cheaply buy, improvise, or build their own instruments and who have been seen as reacting against the drab austerity of post-war Britain. The craze probably reached its height with

7857-476: The song "Katherine of Oregon". In "Class of '58" he describes a British entertainer who is either Donegan or a composite including him. In a 2023 video interview with Steve Houk, Stewart described 'Rock Island Line' as a record "that completely changed the complexion of English society, and changed my life and everybody else's". Peter Sellers recorded Puttin' on the Smile featuring "Lenny Goonagain", who travels to

7954-513: The traditional prison song " Midnight Special "; his versions became famous. On August 1, Ledbetter was released after having served nearly all of his minimum sentence. The Lomaxes had taken a record and a petition seeking his release to Louisiana Governor Oscar K. Allen at his urgent request. It included his signature song, " Goodnight Irene ". A prison official later wrote to John Lomax denying that Ledbetter's singing had anything to do with his release from prison. (State prison records confirm he

8051-534: The world. In 2017, performer Billy Bragg 's book Roots, Radicals and Rockers , a history of the skiffle movement, was published. Bragg has compared the development of skiffle in Britain in the 1950s to punk rock in the 1970s, noting that skiffle was a revolt by young people against the culture of their parents, and allowed them to create their own style of music without expensive equipment or great musical virtuosity. Lonnie Donegan Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002)

8148-585: The year 1889, and his 1942 draft registration card states January 23, 1889. These records were made by census takers, and ages and dates were defined in terms of the census date. The 1900 United States Census lists "Hudy Ledbetter" as 12 years old, born January 1888, and the 1910 and 1930 censuses also give his age as corresponding to a birth in 1888. The 1940 census lists his age as 51, with information supplied by wife Martha. The books Blues: A Regional Experience by Eagle and LeBlanc and Encyclopedia of Louisiana Musicians by Tomko give January 23, 1888, while

8245-491: Was This Yere de Story . Peter Donegan started touring as his father's pianist when he was aged 18. In 2019, Peter appeared on the show The Voice as a contestant, and duetted with Tom Jones with the song " I'll Never Fall in Love Again ". Anthony Donegan also performs under the name, Lonnie Donegan Jr. Donegan married three times. He had two daughters (Fiona and Corrina) with his first wife, Maureen Tyler (divorced 1962),

8342-462: Was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle ", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotland and brought up in England, Donegan began his career in the British trad jazz revival but transitioned to skiffle in the mid-1950s, rising to prominence with a hit recording of the American folk song " Rock Island Line " which helped spur

8439-512: Was a record producer for most of the decade at Pye Records. Justin Hayward was one of the artists with whom he worked. Donegan was not popular through the late 1960s and 1970s (although his " I'll Never Fall in Love Again " was recorded by Tom Jones in 1967 and Elvis Presley in 1976), and he began to play the American cabaret circuit. A departure from his normal style was an a cappella recording of " The Party's Over ". Donegan reunited with

8536-472: Was a testament to his persuasive powers, as Neff had run for governor on a pledge not to issue pardons (most Southern judicial systems had no provision for approving parole from prison). After meeting Lead Belly in 1924, Neff returned to the prison several times after he was incarcerated again. He brought guests to the prison on Sunday picnics to hear Ledbetter perform. In 1930, Ledbetter was sentenced to Louisiana State Penitentiary (nicknamed "Angola") after

8633-794: Was born in Bridgeton, Glasgow , Scotland, on 29 April 1931. He was the son of an Irish mother (Mary Josephine Deighan) and a Scots father (Peter John Donegan), a professional violinist who had played with the Scottish National Orchestra . In 1933, when Donegan was aged 2, the family moved to East Ham in Essex . Donegan was evacuated to Cheshire to escape the Blitz in the Second World War and attended St Ambrose College in Hale Barns . He lived for

8730-468: Was eligible for this due to good behavior.) But, both Ledbetter and the Lomaxes believed that the record they had taken to the governor had helped gain his release from prison. Ledbetter returned to a state in the midst of the Great Depression , and jobs were scarce. In September, needing regular work to satisfy parole, he asked John Lomax to take him on as a paid driver. For three months, he assisted

8827-401: Was in 1925 in the name of Jimmy O'Bryant and his Chicago Skifflers. Most often it was used to describe country blues music records, which included the compositions "Hometown Skiffle" (1929) and "Skiffle Blues" (1946) by Dan Burley & his Skiffle Boys . It was used by Ma Rainey (1886–1939) to describe her repertoire to rural audiences. The term skiffle disappeared from American music in

8924-606: Was interrupted when he was called up for National Service in 1949, but while in the army at Southampton , he was the drummer in Ken Grinyer's Wolverines Jazz Band at a local pub. A posting to Vienna brought him into contact with American troops , and access to US records and the American Forces Network radio station. In 1952, he formed the Tony Donegan Jazzband, which played around London. On 28 June 1952 at

9021-529: Was one of the finest public presentations of Leadbelly's music: well recorded, well advertised, well documented. And the album justified its reputation as a landmark in African American folk music." Several of the recordings from these sessions were also issued as singles by Bluebird Records . In 1941, Lead Belly was introduced to Moses "Moe" Asch by mutual friends. Asch owned a recording studio and small record label, which mainly released folk records for

9118-681: Was recorded at a concert at the Royal Festival Hall on 30 October 1954. Decca dropped Donegan thereafter, but within a month he was at the Abbey Road Studios in London recording for EMI 's Columbia label. He had left the Barber band, and by spring 1955, signed a recording contract with Pye . His next single "Lost John" reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart . He appeared on television in

9215-421: Was still wearing uniform stripes. By this time he was no longer associated with Lomax. Life magazine ran a three-page article titled "Lead Belly: Bad Nigger Makes Good Minstrel" in its issue of April 19, 1937. It included a full-page, color (rare in those days) picture of him sitting on grain sacks playing his guitar and singing. Also included was a striking photograph of his wife Martha Promise (identified in

9312-765: Was the first American country blues musician to achieve success in Europe. His final concert was at the University of Texas at Austin in a tribute to his former mentor, John Lomax , who had died the previous year. Martha also performed at that concert, singing spirituals with Lead Belly. Lead Belly died later that year in New York City. He was buried in the Shiloh Baptist Church cemetery, in Mooringsport, Louisiana , 8 miles (13 km) west of Blanchard , in Caddo Parish. He

9409-480: Was used to coordinate work crews as they laid and maintained tracks. In 1976, a biopic titled Leadbelly was released, directed by Gordon Parks and featuring Roger E. Mosley as Lead Belly. In 1951, the Weavers ' recording of their arrangement of Lead Belly's "Irene", released as " Good Night, Irene ", was the first folk song to reach #1 on the U.S. charts, selling some two million copies. Kurt Cobain promoted

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