The Conversation

Lead Belly's music defied racial categorization

Author: The Conversation

Through his music, Lead Belly rejected the stereotype that country music was the domain of white artists, while blues music was reserved for blacks.Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

Last month, Smithsonian Folkways released Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, a carefully curated collection of Huddie “Lead...

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