Conversation so far:
How did Lead Belly come up with his piano-sounding technique?
Lead Belly used down-tuning, with notes shifting as strings wore, as it was a common technique before the development of truss rods.
How old was Lead Belly when he came up with his down-tuning technique?
Was the piano-sounding technique influenced by someone or something in Lead Belly's life?
Scholars have suggested much of Lead Belly's guitar playing was inspired by barrelhouse piano and the Mexican Bajo sexto, an instrument he encountered in Texas and Louisiana.

Question: What did he go to jail for?
Self-contained rewrite: What did Lead Belly go to jail for?