The life of Blues and folk singer Huddie Leadbetter, nicknamed Leadbelly is recounted. Covering the good times and bad from his 20s to 40s. Much of that time was spent on chain gangs in the south. Even in prison he became well known for the songs he had composed and sung during and before the time he spent there.
Acting
Mosley's physical presence and voice transformation are devastating.
Cinematography
Gordon Parks shoots the South with poetic brutality.
Score
Lead Belly's actual songs, performed with bone-deep authenticity.
Director
Gordon Parks
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gordon Parks was already a legendary photographer when he directed this; he shot Lead Belly himself in 1941 for the Farm Security Administration.
The real Lead Belly died in 1949, but his 'Goodnight, Irene' became a #1 hit for the white group The Weavers in 1950—he never saw a dime.
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