Lead Belly: Smithsonian Folkways Collection / Various

Co-produced by Jeff Place and Bob Santelli and released as part of the Lead Belly 125th year celebration, which includes a GRAMMY museum exhibition, Smithsonian this release contains 5 CDs, 108 tracks, 140 page book. 16 previously unreleased tracks. Release Date: February 10 Companion to GRAMMY-winning Woody at 100 box set (2012) Co-produced by Jeff Place and Bob Santelli Released as part of Lead Belly's 125th year celebration, which includes GRAMMY museum exhibition, Smithsonian Channel Documentary Film, and other special events to be announced. Lead Belly is 'the hard name of a harder man,' said Woody Guthrie of his friend and fellow American music icon who was born Huddie Ledbetter (c. 1888-1949). From the swamplands of Louisiana, the prisons of Texas, and the streets of New York City, Lead Belly and his music became cornerstones of American folk music and touchstones of African American cultural legacy. With his 12-string Stella guitar, he sang out a cornucopia of songs that included his classics 'The Midnight Special,' 'Irene,' 'Bourgeois Blues,' and many more, which in turn have been covered by musical notables such as the Beach Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Van Morrison, Nirvana, Odetta, Little Richard, Pete Seeger, Frank Sinatra and Tom Waits. Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection brings us the story of the man as well as the musician.