Lead Belly - The Remaining ARC and Library of Congress Recordings, Volume 1 (1935)

"C.C. Rider" by Lead Belly


During his time in New York, Woody Guthrie performed often with others in the New York folk scene of the time both on and off stage. He would both record and busk with one particular blues singer and king of all trades, Lead Belly.

Huddie Ledbetter probably got his nickname in prison. This could have been at any point in his youth because Lead Belly found himself in and out of prison a number of times. He paid only minimum sentences each time as he would be let out for his good behavior (in due part thanks to his role as song leader). It was during one of these incarcerations at Angola Prison Farm where he was "discovered" by musicologist John Lomax and his son Alan in 1934. By then, however, he'd already developed a reputation for his skill on the twelve-string and his command of a vast library of traditional (gospel, work songs, blues,...) and original songs. Lomax recorded several performances for the Library of Congress and in return sent a "sung plea" to Governor O.K. Allen from Lead Belly. After his release in 1935, Lead Belly joined the Lomaxes to help them record other folk musicians while still performing for them himself.

The discography for Lead Belly is a mess and has never been properly collected leaving it largely incomplete. Of course, his recordings come from a time before the full length album, so my usual methods of measurement used on the tour don't apply. Instead, I'm pulling together recordings from various early sessions that have been haphazardly collected by different record companies (Document Records and Rounder Records in this case). The recordings come from the earliest he did in 1933, fragments of his Library of Congress recordings for John Lomax, and finally a recording session with the American Record Company. Though rough and poor quality, these recordings reveal Lead Belly at his most relaxed and his most emotive.

Here is the discography surrounding Lead Belly's first batch of recordings:

Field Recordings, Vol. 5: Louisiana, Texas, Bahamas (compilation album featuring seven 1933-1934 tracks)
The Remaining ARC and Library of Congress Recordings, Volume 1 (1934-1935)
Library of Congress Recordings, Volume 1: Midnight Special (1934-1935 recordings)
Library of Congress Recordings, Volume 4: The Titanic (1934-1935 recordings)



If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Woody Guthrie - Woody Guthrie: Library of Congress Recordings (1940)

"So Long, It's Been Good to Know You" by Woody Guthrie


The connection from Bob Dylan to Woody Guthrie is straight forward. Bob Dylan says that the biggest reason for his move to New York was to meet his idol. Dylan would visit a sick Guthrie (from Huntington's Disease) at the Brooklyn State Hospital, learning songs and tricks. As a troubadour and political songwriter, Woody held a strong influence over the folk revival of the sixties.

Guthrie started playing music while in high school. While he didn't prove to be a strong student as he would drop out after four years, his teachers believed him a smart boy, and he was a voracious reader who would spend hours reading and teaching himself in the public library. Musically, he had no formal training and picked up most songs he would play by ear. He cut his teeth by busking in Oklahoma and Texas. With the seemingly apocalyptic Dust Bowl winds tearing apart the heart of the Southern Midwest, Guthrie moved to California some time in the 1930s. Many of his early songs ("Dust Bowl Refugee", Dust Pneumonia Blues", ...) dealt with the troubles he experienced at this time.

In California, Woody worked for a local radio station playing traditional folk songs. Of his time there, the folk singer says that the best thing he ever did there was join the Communist party. Officially, he actually never joined, but instead he was deemed a "fellow traveler": an outsider who agreed with the party platform but did not fall under party discipline. He grew part of Southern Californian Communist circles, played benefit concerts for the Party, and wrote an article for a Communist paper. His writings were not political. Instead, he wrote about his travels and his experiences. It just so happened he lived during political times (noted by Steve Earle).

Guthrie returned to Texas in 1940 after having a fallout with the radio station's political leanings. He didn't stay long and soon moved to New York at the invitation of actor Will Geer, a fellow Communist who he befriended during his time in SoCal. He began performing in folk circles as the "Oklahoma Cowboy" and caught the attention of folklorist Alan Lomax. Alan Lomax's 1940 field recordings were Guthrie's first (though they were never officially released until 1964). Alan focuses on chronicling Guthrie's traditional repertoire, a few of his political songs, and his dust bowl songs. In conversation, Woody also ruminates on his life growing up in Oklahoma, his freight train travels, and his Great Depression experiences. Although he was largely unheralded up to this point, he would quickly grow into the common man's voice within the next few years.

Here is the discography surrounding Woody Guthrie's debut recording sessions:

Woody Guthrie: Library of Congress Recordings

"Talking Dust Bowl Blues" by Woody Guthrie


Conversation Between Woody Guthrie and Alan Lomax on the Blues and Hard Times


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (1962)

"Talkin' New York" by Bob Dylan


Bob Dylan often relates that the first job as a musician he got was as a harmonica player in Greenwich Village to the tune of dollar a day and a cheeseburger. He received high compliments for his ability, but to Bob they were high compliments that were only worth a dollar. Often never explicitly mentioned by Dylan, Fred Neil was the performer to hire the young folkie as accompaniment.

Bob Dylan was born and raised Robert Allen Zimmerman in Hibbing, Minnesota although in interviews he claimed to hail from South Dakota, possibly to extend his folk credibility. In high school, Bob's bands were rock and roll with one of his young influences being Little Richard. His perspective changed while attending the University of Minnesota and felt unattached to the driving slogans of rock and roll as they couldn't say anything of substance. He became more entrenched in learning folk music and began performing around Minneapolis. About this time, he began introducing himself as Bob Dylan.

Knowing he had much more to learn and wanting to learn from the best, Bob Dylan dropped out of school and, in January 1961, ventured to New York to meet his idol, folk singer and American troubadour Woody Guthrie. At the time, Guthrie suffered from Huntington's Disease but was still able to teach the young acolyte a few techniques and a few songs. He developed a relationship with fellow Guthrie student, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, who further taught him some of Guthrie's techniques. Dylan, with an introductory role from Fred Neil, began playing the Greenwich circuit and developing his reputation. He also started playing as a session musician. On one session where he played the harmonica for Carolyn Hester, Hester's producer and legendary talent scout John H. Hammond felt so impressed by Dylan that he signed him to Columbia Records in October 1961.

Recording of Dylan's debut album started soon after the signing with Hammond as producer. The young folk-singer feared revealing too much of himself too quickly to his audience. As a result, the album only featured two of his original songs despite being a very prolific songwriter. The eleven other songs were traditional and folk songs arranged by Bob himself or friends of his. Only half of the songs came from his live sets and were played with more energy and speed than he normally played them. According to Hammond, Dylan played the undisciplined and difficult novice in the studio who 'popped every p', 'hissed every s' or 'wandered off mike'. Dylan later told interviewers that he refused to play second takes as he couldn't bear the idea of playing the same song twice in a row.

Bob Dylan was released in March of 1962 just over a year after Bob had moved to New York. The album received little acclaim and revealed Dylan as the young musician who idolized Woody Guthrie and wished to be Woody Guthrie. The little bit of himself he did reveal on the album seemed more of a a mix of influences without much original voice. The album was unsuccessful, Dylan was deemed "Hammond's Folly" around Columbia, and both Dylan and Hammond wished to quickly move on from it.

Here is the discography surrounding Bob Dylan's debut album:

Minnesota Hotel Tapes (1961 bootleg recordings)
Bob Dylan

"Man of Constant Sorrow" by Bob Dylan


"Song to Woody" by Bob Dylan


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!