Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of January 20th.
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It is the 20th day of the year, leaving 345 days remaining in 2022.
With little schooling and no formal training, Lead Belly became an extraordinary talent who composed dozens of songs, and memorized and sang hundreds of others that he learned during his itinerant tours of the country. He inspired musicians as diverse as the Clancy Brothers, The Animals, and Kurt Cobain. His recordings are in the Library of Congress; many are considered standards of their genrè.
He wrote or recorded Rock Island Line, Goodnight Irene, Midnight Special, Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, and Where Did You Sleep Last Night.
He also served time in prison for murder, assault, and other crimes. An oft-told story says he once so impressed Texas Gov. Pat Neff with his voice and a song he wrote for him that Neff granted him parole.
Lead Belly often sang with a 12-string guitar, on which he composed many of his songs. He also played the accordian, piano, mandolin, and harmonica. Sometimes, he just clapped, stomped his feet, or used his voice to set the rhythm.
His legacy continues. Bob Dylan said he became a folk singer after listening to a Lead Belly album with the song Cotton Fields. "That record ... transported me into a world I'd never known. ... Like I'd been walking in darkness and all of the sudden the darkness was illuminated."
George Harrison said without Lead Belly, the Beatles would not have existed. Van Morrison went further, saying if not for Lead Belly, the entire 1960s music scene would never have happened.
Lead Belly died in New York in December 1949.
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