Huddie William Leadbetter was a convicted murderer who overcame adversity to establish himself as a music legend. In addition to his own compositions, Lead Belly was a living library of old European ballads, black work songs, southern ballads, blues and even cowboy songs. His own work included such popular favorites as “Goodnight Irene” and “Rock Island Line”. In this program, we learn about the life and music of the man known as 'Lead Belly,' through Folkways recordings of his performances and both archival and contemporary interviews.