The Resume

(January 23, 1888-December 6, 1949)
Birth name was Huddie William Ledbetter
Discovered in Angola Penitentiary, Louisiana, by musicologists John and Alan Lomax
Recorded the songs 'Birmingham Jail,' 'Black Betty,' 'Bourgeoisie Blues,' 'C.C. Rider,' 'Cotton Fields,' 'Death Letter Blues,' 'Go Down Old Hannah,' 'Good Morning Blues,' 'Goodnight Irene,' 'House of the Rising Sun,' 'Midnight Special,' 'The Roosevelt Song' 'They Hung Him on a Cross,' and 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night'
Died from Lou Gehrig's disease
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence (1988)

Why he might be annoying:

The date and year of his birth are disputed.
He fathered two children out of wedlock as a teenager.
He married his first wife when he was 22 and she was 15.
He left her and their two children to become a traveling musician.
He served time for assault (1917), murder (1918-25), attempted murder (1930-34) and assault again (1939-40).
His friendship with the Lomaxes ended when he pulled a knife on John.
John Lomax noted that when Leadbelly passed the hat after shows in New York, 'he always became the smiling, cajoling Southern darky minstrel extracting nickels from his White folks.'

Why he might not be annoying:

He played the guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, concertina and accordion.
He insisted that he had only killed in self-defense.
He was twice released early from prison for good behavior.
He had to put up with patronizing and sensationalized press accounts of his life, such as the New York Herald-Tribune announcing Leadbelly coming to town to 'do a few tunes between homicides.'
The songs he popularized were recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Nirvana.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Accordionists
• Banjo Strummers
• Blues Musicians
• Bob Dylan References
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 01]
• Folk Singers
• Golden Girls References
• Harmonica Players
• I am on a U.S. Postage Stamp [H-L]
• I Covered a Lead Belly Song
• I Covered 'House of the Rising Sun'
• I Died in 1949 (Ranked: 61)
• I Have ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease
• Known By a Single Name
• Look at Me, I'm Wearing a Bow Tie
• Look at My Guitar
• My Song was Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Ranked: 2002)
• My Song was Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Ranked: 1998)
• Profiles 19001-19250 (Ranked: 19042)
• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Members (Ranked: 1988)
• Stacker’s Most Controversial Song from the Year You Were Born (Ranked: 1938)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 47.06% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 15 Votes: 46.67% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 71 Votes: 50.70% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 859 Votes: 35.74% Annoying
In 2008, Out of 37 Votes: 37.84% Annoying
In 2007, Out of 87 Votes: 59.77% Annoying
In 2006, Out of 69 Votes: 47.83% Annoying