Photo: Unknown photographer / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Lead Belly is, to my ear, one of the foundational aquifers of American music. Born in 1888 Louisiana and wielding a twelve-string guitar, he carried songs that would later feed folk, blues, and rock for generations. Tracks like Goodnight, Irene still circle the globe, and his posthumous inductions into both the Rock and Roll and Grammy Halls of Fame confirm that his stature only grew after death. I'm always moved by artists whose influence outlives the recognition they got while alive. There's a raw, street-tempered authority in his voice that survives even crackly old recordings, and I find it deeply humbling.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Lead Belly
- Name (Japanese)
- レッドベリー
- Reading
- れっどべりー
- Born
- January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Rat
- Origin
- Mooringsport, Louisiana, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- guitarist / singer / street artist / accordionist / composer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2001 Grammy Hall of Fame
- 1998 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.leadbelly.org/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%83%89%E3%83%99%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC
Frequently asked questions
When was Lead Belly born?
January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949.
Where is Lead Belly from?
Lead Belly is from Mooringsport, Louisiana, United States.
What does Lead Belly do?
Lead Belly works as guitarist, singer, street artist, accordionist, composer.
Guitarist — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.