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Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection

Lead Belly

Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, the first career-spanning box set dedicated to the American music icon, is a 5 CD, 140-page, large-format book featuring 5 hours of music with 16 unreleased tracks. The limited-edition poster and t-shirt package has sold out.

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,” “The 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. 5 Discs, 108 tracks (16 unreleased), 5 hours of music, historic photos, extensive notes, and 140-page book.

Limited-Edition Poster and T-Shirt
Designed by Fritz Klaetke (Visual Dialogue), GRAMMY-winning art director for Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, this unframed, 16” x 20” poster is individually numbered out of 300 and printed on high-quality paper with matte finish. The unisex t-shirt is printed on 100% cotton.

Limited-Edition Poster and T-Shirt

This project was produced in coordination with the Lead Belly Estate, The John Reynolds Collection/Lead Belly Society, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Track Listing

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101
Irene (Goodnight Irene) Lead Belly 01:53
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102
The Bourgeois Blues Lead Belly 02:18
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103
Fannin Street (Mister Tom Hughes Town) Lead Belly 03:30
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104
The Midnight Special Lead Belly 02:03
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105
John Henry Lead Belly with Sonny Terry 03:10
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106
Black Girl (Where Did You Sleep Last Night) Lead Belly 02:07
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107
Pick a Bale of Cotton Lead Belly and The Oleander Quartet 01:30
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108
Take This Hammer Lead Belly 02:15
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109
Cotton Fields Lead Belly 02:06
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110
Old Riley / Here, Rattler, Here Lead Belly 01:58
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111
Rock Island Line Lead Belly 02:02
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112
The Gallis Pole (The Maid Freed from the Gallows) Lead Belly 02:45
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113
Ha-Ha This a Way Lead Belly 01:34
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114
Sukey Jump Lead Belly 01:04
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115
Boll Weevil Lead Belly 03:07
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116
Scottsboro Boys Lead Belly 04:32
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117
Governor O.K. Allen Lead Belly 02:37
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118
Governor Pat Neff Lead Belly 03:40
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119
There's a Man Going Around Taking Names Lead Belly 01:24
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120
On a Monday (Almost Done) Lead Belly with Sonny Terry 01:47
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121
You Can't Lose Me, Cholly Lead Belly 02:37
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122
Keep Your Hands Off Her Lead Belly 02:51
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123
We Shall Be Free Lead Belly with Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston 02:34
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201
Alabama Bound Lead Belly with Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston 02:17
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202
Almost Day (Christmas Is a-Coming) Lead Belly 01:05
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203
Fiddler's Dram Lead Belly with Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston 02:28
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204
Green Corn Lead Belly 01:15
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205
Sally Walker Lead Belly 02:40
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206
Bring Me a Little Water, Silvy Lead Belly 00:48
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207
Julie Ann Johnson Lead Belly 00:41
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208
Linin' Track Lead Belly 01:11
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209
Whoa, Back, Buck Lead Belly 02:09
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210
Shorty George Lead Belly 01:28
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211
Ham and Eggs (Make It on the Side of the Road) Lead Belly 01:42
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212
Moanin' Lead Belly 01:00
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213
Out on the Western Plains Lead Belly 01:31
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214
Noted Rider Lead Belly 02:50
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215
Meeting at the Building (All Over this World) Lead Belly 00:59
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216
Good, Good, Good (Talking, Preaching) / We Shall Walk Through the Valley Lead Belly 02:11
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217
Ain't You Glad (The Blood Done Signed My Name) Lead Belly 02:19
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218
I'm So Glad, I Done Got Over Lead Belly 01:21
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219
The Hindenburg Disaster Lead Belly 03:22
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220
Ella Speed Lead Belly 05:48
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221
Haul Away Joe Lead Belly 02:48
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222
Old Man Lead Belly 02:35
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223
Sweet Jenny Lee Lead Belly 01:51
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224
Jean Harlow Lead Belly 01:40
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225
Laura Lead Belly 01:41
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226
Queen Mary Lead Belly 04:46
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301
Good Morning Blues Lead Belly with Sonny Terry 02:23
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302
Sail On, Little Girl (You Can't Mistreat Me) Lead Belly 03:14
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303
Easy Rider Lead Belly 02:51
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304
Poor Howard Lead Belly 01:36
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305
Duncan and Brady Lead Belly 04:06
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306
How Long, How Long Lead Belly and Sonny Terry 02:13
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307
T.B. Blues Lead Belly 03:43
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308
Jim Crow Blues Lead Belly 03:30
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309
Pigmeat Lead Belly 02:33
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310
John Hardy Lead Belly 02:43
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311
Outskirts of Town Lead Belly and Sonny Terry 02:40
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312
4, 5, and 9 Lead Belly 02:20
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313
In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down) Lead Belly 03:29
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314
Red Cross Store Blues Lead Belly 03:09
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315
Diggin' My Potatoes Lead Belly and Brownie McGee 02:34
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316
Blind Lemon Lead Belly 01:39
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317
When a Man's a Long Way from Home Lead Belly 02:57
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318
Alberta Lead Belly 03:11
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319
Excerpt from "The Lonesome Train" Lead Belly 03:11
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320
National Defense Blues Lead Belly 03:13
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321
Hitler Song (Mr. Hitler) Lead Belly 04:31
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322
Big Fat Woman Lead Belly 01:10
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323
Been So Long (Bellevue Hospital Blues) Lead Belly 02:44
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401
WNYC- Folk Songs of America [Grey Goose; Boll Weevil; Yellow Gal; Ha-Ha This a Way; Leaving Blues; Irene (outro)] Lead Belly 14:42
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402
WNYC- Folk Songs of America [Almost Day; Blues in My Kitchen, Blues in My Dining Room; I Went Up on the Mountain; Good Morning Blues; Baby, Don't You Love Me No More; T.B. Blues; Irene (outro)] Lead Belly and the Oleander Quartet 14:45
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403
If It Wasn't for Dicky Lead Belly 02:15
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404
What's You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire Lead Belly with Anne Graham 02:12
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405
Rock Me (Hide Me in Thy Bosom) Lead Belly with Anne Graham 02:19
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406
Packin' Trunk Blues Lead Belly 02:35
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407
Leaving Blues Lead Belly 02:58
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408
How Come You Do Me Like You Do? Lead Belly 03:26
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409
One Dime Blues Lead Belly 02:25
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410
I'm Going to Buy You a Brand New Ford Lead Belly 01:40
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411
Jail-house Blues (It Was Early One Morning) Lead Belly 01:13
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412
Shout On (Honey, I'm All Out and Down) Lead Belly 02:09
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413
Come and Sit Down Beside Me Lead Belly 01:02
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414
Red River Lead Belly 02:14
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501
Yes, I Was Standing in the Bottom / When It's Springtime in the Rockies Lead Belly 01:41
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502
Ain't Going Down to the Well No More (version 2) Lead Belly 01:23
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503
Everytime I Go Out Lead Belly 01:25
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504
Go Down, Old Hannah Lead Belly 04:58
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505
Black Betty Lead Belly 01:53
506
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out Lead Belly with Bessie Smith 03:42
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507
Stewball Lead Belly with Martha Ledbetter 02:34
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508
Ain't It a Shame to Go Fishin' on a Sunday Lead Belly 01:22
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509
Relax Your Mind Lead Belly 04:05
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510
Princess Elizabeth Lead Belly 03:33
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511
Silver City Bound Lead Belly 06:01
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512
The Titanic Lead Belly 05:11
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513
House of the Rising Sun Lead Belly and Martha Ledbetter 02:24
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514
It's Tight Like That Lead Belly 03:09