Event Title
Date of Publication
3-26-2021
Document Type
Poster
Abstract / Program Notes
Huddie William Ledbetter (1889-1949), was born in Morringsport, Louisiana. Known to the world of music as the King of the Twelve-String guitar, Lead Belly moved with his parents at an early age to Bowie County, Texas near Texarkana. Lead Belly was singing and performing by the age of 11 in Shreveport's red-light district. He was actively playing in saloons, brothels and dance halls. Lead Belly also learned how to play the accordion, but it was the twelve-string guitar that would bring him notoriety. This paper will examine the life and times of Lead Belly, beginning with his prison stays in various chain gangs throughout the south. It was while in prison that he gained his love for Country Blues, Negro Folk songs and chain gang or prison songs. Lead Belly was discovered by folklorist John Lomax and his son Alan Lomax. They were so impressed by him that they recorded him in 1933 on an aluminum disc for the library of congress. This poster will also delve into his musical successes and failures after prison, throughout the great depression and his receptions in Harlem and Europe as a country blues and folk artist. Towards the end of his life he began receiving recognition for his unique style of twelve-string guitar playing by using an unusually large Stella guitar, fingers picks, including one for his thumb that would provide a walking bass line. In the 1950's the artist Pete Seeger would go on to popularize this style of playing.
Biography
A native of New Jersey, Alexandra Zacharella is Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Low Brass at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. Zacharella holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in trombone performance from the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music, with minors in conducting, music education and jazz studies; a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance and Music Education from The University of Hartford, The Hartt School. Zacharella is an active low brass and wind ensemble clinician and has presented clinics and masterclasses in South Korea, Hong Kong, California, Michigan, Georgia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma to name a few. She presented at the 65th and 70th Annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois and gave the plenary paper for the keynote performance for trombonist and Conn-Selmer Artist Christian Lindberg, at the International Conference of the College Music Society in Stockholm, Sweden in 2015. Zacharella has performed at the International Trombone Festivals in California, Spain, France, Georgia, Texas, and Las Vegas. She has given numerous presentations, performances/recitals on trombone and euphonium and poster sessions at the International Conference of College Music Society in Belgium, Australia, Sweden, Argentina and South Korea and at National and Regional CMS Conferences throughout the United States. She has performed and presented at the Music by Women Festival, Southwestern CBDNA regional conference, the International Women’s Brass Conference, and the ArkMEA Conference. Zacharella is a Bach Artist and a Signature Artist for Warburton.
Keywords
Lead Belly, Guitar
Lead Belly: The King of the Twelve String Guitar
Huddie William Ledbetter (1889-1949), was born in Morringsport, Louisiana. Known to the world of music as the King of the Twelve-String guitar, Lead Belly moved with his parents at an early age to Bowie County, Texas near Texarkana. Lead Belly was singing and performing by the age of 11 in Shreveport's red-light district. He was actively playing in saloons, brothels and dance halls. Lead Belly also learned how to play the accordion, but it was the twelve-string guitar that would bring him notoriety. This paper will examine the life and times of Lead Belly, beginning with his prison stays in various chain gangs throughout the south. It was while in prison that he gained his love for Country Blues, Negro Folk songs and chain gang or prison songs. Lead Belly was discovered by folklorist John Lomax and his son Alan Lomax. They were so impressed by him that they recorded him in 1933 on an aluminum disc for the library of congress. This poster will also delve into his musical successes and failures after prison, throughout the great depression and his receptions in Harlem and Europe as a country blues and folk artist. Towards the end of his life he began receiving recognition for his unique style of twelve-string guitar playing by using an unusually large Stella guitar, fingers picks, including one for his thumb that would provide a walking bass line. In the 1950's the artist Pete Seeger would go on to popularize this style of playing.