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03 Jan 00 - 01:35 AM (#157311) Subject: Ledbelly & accordions From: Len Wallace Now, people don't believe me when I tell them this, but I read the Leadbelly wrote two numbers for accordion - yup, accordion. Does anyone know the title of the tunes and where I can find them (either on recording or written music)? |
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03 Jan 00 - 02:53 AM (#157321) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: El Jefe Leadbelly (sic)..played melodeon...a single row diatonic accordion... El Jefe |
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03 Jan 00 - 03:09 AM (#157325) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Rick Fielding Hi Len. "Big Fat Woman With The Meat Shakin' on her Bones", also "John Hardy". Huddy called it a "Windjammer" and played "cross-harp" style. eg. in G on a C instrument. Like his piano and guitar playing he sounded like no one else on the planet. Smithsonian Folkways have it all. Oops "Meat Shakin..." was on piano, but there were a few others on melodian that I forget the titles to. Happy New Year from Heather and I. Rick |
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03 Jan 00 - 03:36 AM (#157331) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: jets I have heard it said that Leadbelly had to learn how to play the accordion in order to join the Union.A guitar player was not,at that time ,considered to be a musician. Interesting if true. |
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03 Jan 00 - 04:31 AM (#157343) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Rick Fielding He joined the union around '39, but had been playing squeezebox since he was about 13. He DID (for what it's worth) have to join the "black" musician's union. It was segregated for many years. While in California in 1944, he tried to join the Los Angeles local, so he could work more, but was refused membership. (possibly because he was black, although other reasons were given) Rick |
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03 Jan 00 - 06:30 AM (#157350) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Stewie One of the Folkways Leadbelly accordian pieces was issued on an Arhoolie zydeco compilation: 'Corn Bread Rough' - Leadbelly on vocal and accordian - recorded in 1947. It was issued on Various Artists 'Zydeco' Arhoolie LP F1009. Stewie. |
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03 Jan 00 - 07:22 AM (#157354) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: DonMeixner I thought you caught Leadbelly from playing accordions. |
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03 Jan 00 - 12:04 PM (#157408) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Rick Fielding Cute Don. Len, where are you? Don't leave us hanging here by a suspended 9th Rick P.S. Leadbelly bought at least one Cajun accordion at Sam Asch's in New York. How do I know? A wonderful publication called the "Leadbelly Letter". |
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03 Jan 00 - 12:09 PM (#157410) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: MandolinPaul When I read the thread title, I thought this HAD to be a joke. Shows what I know. Paul. |
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03 Jan 00 - 12:28 PM (#157420) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Max Here's what we got on it: http://www.mudcat.org/huddie.cfm |
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03 Jan 00 - 05:15 PM (#157521) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Len Wallace Thanks gang. I knew you would come through. A Happy 2000 to you all. Now I gotta get down to learning these tunes on my windjammer. |
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03 Jan 00 - 10:23 PM (#157673) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Lyle From "The Life and Legend of Leadbelly," by Charles Wolf and Kip Lornell (1992) - page 16: (he had talked to his parents to get him some kind of instrument he could play).. "When Huddie was seven, this dream came true when his Uncle Terrell dropped by the house, returning by mule from Mooringsport. A "windjammer" (a small button accordion) hung from the saddle and he gave it to his excited nephew. Huddie worked on it all evening and into the night, trying to find the proper combination of rhythm and buttons to make a tune. His experience wore down Sallie and Wes's patience, but they understook his enthusiasm. By morning Huddie had mastered a rough version of "There's No Cornbread Here." A few days later his mother taught him an old jig called "Dinah's Got A Wooden Leg." Soon she was adding to his repertoire some of the lullabies and sprituals she sang in church, and Huddie was learning that the windjammer could be as much at home in curch as it was at the local square dance." This book (one of the best sources I've found) also notes that Huddie played harmonica, Jew's harp, piano, and the reed organ at the old Shilo Church BEFORE he learned the guitar. I've got tons of notes from all over about Huddie, but he is one (of many!) that I haven't had a chance to get organized yet. I do remember, however, that he talked on stage about carrying his windjammer to the sukey jumps. Hope this helps. Lyle
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04 Jan 00 - 02:35 PM (#157897) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Doctor John He's is said to use a button accordion on "John Hardy" and a concertina on "Corn Bread Rough". Although some issues of this latter state there are several different masters, they sound the same recording to me. Could anyone please comment? Dr John |
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04 Jan 00 - 06:03 PM (#157992) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Rick Fielding They sound the same to me. Problem is that in those times almost no one writing would have known the difference between an accordion, melodion, concertina, or cajun accordion. The famous film director Elia Kazan, wrote about spending an evening with Leadbelly and listening to his "12 string Windjammer"!!! Movies he knew..Music he didn't! Rick |
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05 Jan 00 - 09:32 AM (#158317) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Harry Lewman I do know that Lead Belly's widow and neice never found an accordian, windjammer, concertina, whatever, among his personal items after his death. He did have a publicity shot with some sort of squeeze box. Besides those pieces metioned before, thereis an teresting song I have heard on concertina, most likely. It is on Smithsonian/Folkways 40044 titled "Lead Belly where did you sleep last night". the song is a short one called Sukey Jump |
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05 Jan 00 - 09:54 AM (#158327) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Stewie 'Sukey Jump' was also included on the Arhoolie LP I mentioned above - I overlooked it before. Both the Leadbelly inclusions were courtesy of Folkways. |
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05 Jan 00 - 01:43 PM (#158446) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Doctor John I'd forgotten that one too: recorded in 1947, also called 'Wind Jammer". Then there's "Laura" recorded the same year. Dr John |
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03 Nov 00 - 08:41 AM (#333451) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: harpgirl ...now I remember this!! |
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03 Nov 00 - 10:55 AM (#333546) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: Rick Fielding Me too! One of the things I get a kick out of was Leadbelly's either step-dancing or "stompin" while he played. Not sure if I'm gonna learn how to do that! Hey is Harry Lewman still around Mudcat? Hope so. Lyle too. Rick |
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03 Nov 00 - 11:21 AM (#333577) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: tradman Check out the Sukey Jump thread also going on right now. |
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03 Nov 00 - 11:24 AM (#333581) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: tradman Leadbelly's accordian was called a windjammer. He did not play what we think of as a concertina. Some folks used the word concertina to refer to any small accordian. Check out the Sukey Jump thread also going on right now. |
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21 Dec 02 - 05:44 PM (#851882) Subject: RE: Ledbelly & accordions From: GUEST There are 4 tunes: Laura, Sukey Jump, Windjammer, and John Hardy. He was a great player, too bad he didn't record more tunes on the accordion. Played a one row diatonice with 3 stops. You can find the picture in "Leadbelly and His Windjammer" in American Music Volume 12, Summer 1994. pages 148-166. Always looking for more on Leadbelly and his accordion |
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21 Feb 05 - 08:00 AM (#1416302) Subject: leadbelly lyric request From: GUEST,mark mary hello. i really want to make a death metal cover of |
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21 Feb 05 - 08:14 AM (#1416309) Subject: RE: Leadbelly & accordions From: greg stephens To get technical, John hardy was played on a diatonic one row G-box, played "backwards" in the cajun style in D. I havent got Sukey Jump and Cornbread Rough to hand, so I'm not sure if they are on the same machine. From memory I would say that Sukey Jump was played on the same sort of box, but not with all the stops out(hence a thinner sound which people might confuse with a concertina). Windjammer I've never heard. Is that currently available on CD? |
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31 Jul 11 - 06:57 PM (#3199338) Subject: RE: Leadbelly & accordions From: GUEST,Rossa Mac Tíarnáin First person to write on this in six years! Im from Ireland and am a massive Irish traditional fan but I also love folk and blues and I worship leadbelly. Whenever I learned that Leadbelly played tunes on accordion I couldn't believe it and had loads of trouble trying to find the tunes but this forum helped out so much. Thanks guys! |