King of the 12 String Guitar
Leadbelly is a folk musician by association not art. He was a bluesman, pure and simple: a howler, an astonishingly prolific composer, and a murderously driving guitar slinger. His catalogue is immense, and though the complete FolkwaysLeadbelly Legacyseries is probably the best way to get a picture of his importance, this single disc of early 1930s field recordings, made shortly after Leadbelly left prison, has some crucial tracks and rare, alternate takes like "Packin' Truck Blues," "Roberta 1 & 2," "You Don't Know My Mind," and "Pigmeat." --Roy Francis Kasten