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'That Blew My Mind': Raiding The Lead Belly Vault

Lead Belly. William Gottlieb/Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways and the Library of Congress hide caption

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William Gottlieb/Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways and the Library of Congress

Music

'That Blew My Mind': Raiding The Lead Belly Vault

From his pop covers to his freewheeling radio show, there was more to the late musician than blues.

'That Blew My Mind': Raiding The Lead Belly Vault

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Songs We Love: Lead Belly, 'I'm So Glad, I Done Got Over'

Portrait in New York, in Lead Belly's final days, 1948-49 Dr Richard S. Blacher hide caption

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Dr Richard S. Blacher

All Songs Considered

Songs We Love: Lead Belly, 'I'm So Glad, I Done Got Over'

The Smithsonian opens its archives and shares a comprehensive collection of previously unheard recordings by blues legend Lead Belly.

I'm So Glad, I Done Got Over

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Opinion

Leadbelly's 'Old Man' and the Work Song Tradition

In early 1997, two old friends with an interest in music and a propensity for research began corresponding about a song that hadn't been much studied: "Old Man," a song recorded in 1941 by the singer Leadbelly. The song represents a tradition of music sung by American workers.

Leadbelly's 'Old Man' and the Work Song Tradition

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