2. Unrecognised in his lifetime, Leadbelly lived the most blues of lives until his death at the remarkable age of at least 60
Despite this troubling diagnosis, Leadbelly played a smattering of shows back on home soil in 1949. Sadly, Leadbelly breathed his last on December 6 1949 in New York, at the remarkable age of at least 60. It’s something of a miracle that this bon viveur and pugnacious man lasted so long. His final show, appropriately enough, was a tribute to John Lomax at the University of Texas at Austin: Leadbelly thus closed the curtain on his remarkable career by memorialising the man who paved the way (however selfishly) for his eventual success on one of his old stomping grounds.
Drinking, womanising, fighting, and in near-constant trouble with the law, the tale of a flawed musical genius making his way through the Jim Crow South and living hand to mouth makes Leadbelly’s biography the archetype of the blues myth. Despite seeing his peers and less-talented musicians make it big, despite all the setbacks and legal troubles, despite the oft-crippling poverty associated with pursuing his music, Leadbelly would not be beaten down. Whether or not you like blues or folksong, Leadbelly’s dogged determination and dedication to his art are an example to us all.
