Where Did You Sleep Last Night: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1 [PA]

Performer: Leadbelly
Artist: Sonny Terry; Josh White
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT? is, in part, a reissue of the first two volumes (Folkways 2004 and 2014) of the four-volume set LEADBELLY'S LEGACY, originally released on 10-inch LPs in the early 1950s. WHERE DID YOU SLEEP uses different versions of some of the songs, and adds outtakes and previously-unreleased recordings. Personnel includes: Leadbelly (vocals, guitar, button accordion, piano); Brownie McGhee (guitar); Sonny Terry (harmonica); Willie "The Lion" Smith (piano); Pops Foster (bass). The Oleander Quartet: George Boyd, Cecil Murray, Howard Scott, George Hall (vocals). Compilation producers: Jeff Place, Anthony Seeger, Matt Walters, Pete Reiniger. Principally recorded at Asch Recording Studios, New York, New York between 1941 and 1947. Includes liner notes and song-by-song annotations by Jeff Place. The bulk of the best performances by Leadbelly -- whose influence on the folk revival of the 1950s and '60s cannot be overstated -- were recorded during the '40s for Folkways Records founder Moses Asch. Inferior copies and re-recordings of these tunes have appeared over the years, but the original masters have sat in the vaults of Folkways. The three-volume Where Did You Sleep Last Night: Lead Belly Legacy collection shows what we've been missing: the compilers dug out the best available versions of Leadbelly's finest songs and carefully transferred them from the original acetate masters. As the liner notes promise, "these recordings can again be heard the way they sounded in the early 1940s, for in the original masters you can still hear the ringing of the guitar and thumping of the bass." This 34-song first volume is a must for anyone interested in the roots of American folk. It opens with "Irene," which (as "Goodnight Irene") became a national hit for the Weavers less than a year after Leadbelly died on welfare; it includes many more of his most-famous tunes, among them "Rock Island Line," "Cotton Fields," and "Good Morning Blues." ~ Jeff Burger This fine 34-track compilation, collected from sessions produced by Folkways founder Moses Asch and featuring cameos from Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, is a strong compilation of some of Leadbelly's finest recordings. For those confused by the album's name, the titular composition--one of Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter's most haunting and celebrated works--is included here under its original name "In the Pines." Leadbelly classics like "Cotton Fields" and an early version of "Goodnight Irene" sit beside traditional folk standards like "Pick a Bale of Cotton" and "Grey Goose" and hard blues like "Moanin'," showcasing Leadbelly's remarkable versatility. However, it's the surprise inclusion of five outstanding previously unreleased songs, including a fairly obscure variant of "House of the Rising Sun" called "New Orleans Blues," that makes this compilation essential to Leadbelly fans. As always with Folkways reissues, the sound is excellent.

Entertainment Weekly (6/28-7/5/96, p.106) - "...Compiling most of his best-known songs (`Irene,' `Cotton Fields'), it's the first Lead Belly `greatest hits' CD. The scratchy audio quality only adds to its history-in-the-making aura." - Rating: A Down Beat (8/96, p.64) - 5 Stars - Excellent - "Many of the tracks on this timeless folk classic were originally released after Lead Belly's death in 1948 and show the roots of Lead Belly's music....complemented by outtakes, unreleased and alternate versions of other Lead Belly material, all of it absolutely wonderful." Dirty Linen (6-7/96, p.73) - "...Intended as a comprehensive reissue of the recordings Moses Asch made of the singer between 1941 and 1947..."

The embodiment of the link between folk and blues, Lousiana-born Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) possessed a powerful voice and the creative fervor to fashion his observations and heartfelt passions into riveting songs. An itinerant singer/guitarist, he performed in between working odd jobs and spending time in prison for his violent outbursts. Twice he gained pardon from long prison sentences with his songs. After Leadbelly's second pardon, in 1934, the recordings folklorist Alan Lomax made of him brought the singer national success. Whether conscious of his influence or not, nearly all folk and blues singers can trace their musical lineage back to him. He's responsible for many songs that have become part of America's cultural heritage.

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