Conference to celebrate life and legacy of Lead Belly, icon of American folk music
Singer’s niece, experts from Library of Congress Folklife Center will speak
October 21, 2004 | For more information: Jeff Bendix (216)-368-6070
 Case Western Reserve University will host “Shine a Light on Me: The Life and Music of Lead Belly,” an interdisciplinary conference focusing on the iconic American folksinger on Saturday, November 6. The symposium, sponsored by Case’s Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, will take place from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in Ford Auditorium of the Allen Memorial Library, 11000 Euclid Avenue. Registration will begin at 9 a.m.
The event is a highlight of the ninth annual American Music Masters Series, a collaboration between Case and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum which runs from November 1-7.
Two other events in the series will take place on the Case campus Sunday, November 7. Dan Zanes and Friends will perform music of the world and highlight Lead Belly’s music for children in a concert at 1 p.m. in Harkness Chapel, 11200 Bellflower Road. A Lead Belly tribute concert will be held at 8 p.m. in Severance Hall. It will feature Robert Plant, Odetta, Alison Krauss, Robert Lockwood Jr., Los Lobos, Dave Alvin, and others. Tickets for the Dan Zanes concert are $12 for adults and $8 for children, and for the tribute concert are $30 and $20. Tickets for both events can be ordered at Ticketmaster.com
Arguably the most famous black American folksinger in history, Lead Belly was born Huddie Ledbetter around 1888. As a young man working in the rural south, he learned American songs in styles ranging from cowboy tunes to spirituals to folk ballads. After spending time in prison and on chain gangs, he emerged as one of his era’s most significant and original voices.
The first musician to bring black southern folksong to the fore in this country, Lead Belly left a mark on American culture by reinterpreting a wealth of classic tunes and by writing new songs, including “Goodnight Irene,” and “Midnight Special.” His prowess on the 12-string guitar earned him wide acclaim, and through the 1930s and 40s he was at the center of New York City’s lively folk music scene, part of a group that included legendary figures Blind Lemon Jefferson, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and John and Alan Lomax, who made the earliest recordings of Lead Belly and secured one of his prison pardons. He died in 1949 of Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Keynoting the conference at Case will be Ronnie Gilbert, a founding member of the legendary folk group The Weavers, which also included Pete Seeger, Lee Hayes and Fred Hellerman. The conference will also feature a live interview with Tiny Robinson (Lead Belly’s niece); a presentation by author Elijah Wald; music and conversation with folk music greats Oscar Brand and Josh White, Jr.; and special presentations by the Lomax Archives, Smithsonian/Folkways, and the Library of Congress Folklife Center.
The event is open to the public at a cost of $30, which includes lunch. Additional information may be found at the conference website, www.case.edu/events/amm or by calling 216-368-3836. Case students attend for free and can register at www.case.edu/events/amm.
About Case Western Reserve University
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