Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection review – definitive box set of a crucial figure

He was born on a Louisiana plantation, spent nearly 20 years in prison, and was one of the most crucial figures in the history of popular music. Huddie Ledbetter, AKA Lead Belly, died in 1949 but his music influenced folk, skiffle and rock. Now comes the definitive boxed set of his work, with 5 CDs and 108 songs, 16 of them previously unreleased. It’s remarkable for its power, freshness and range. There are collaborations with Woody Guthrie and Sonny Terry, and even a duet with Bessie Smith, as he sings along to one of her recordings, but for the most part he plays solo, backed by his driving 12-string guitar. There’s a pounding treatment of Midnight Special, a bitter Jim Crow Blues and other songs about racism, along with children’s songs, gospel, and an unexpected tribute to the wedding of (then) Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Magnificent.