Huddie Ledbetter (January 23, 1888 - December 6, 1949) is one of the more recognizable traditional American folk artists. His songbook contained a plethora of standard folk tunes, most adapted from previous sources. Leadbelly was born in Mooringsport, Louisiana, and spent time in and out of prison most of his life. In 1933, serving a sentence for attempted murder, musicologists John and Alan Lomax met him on a field recording tour sponsored by the Library of Congress, and returned in 1934. That summer, he was pardoned by the governor of Lousiana after recording his plea for pardon on a record, together with "Good Night Irene".
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