CLEVELAND, OH. (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame/ www.rockhall.com) - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Case Western Reserve University will celebrate the legacy of Lead
Belly in the Ninth Annual American
Music Masters Series this November.
Lead Belly, one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. His influence has been strongly felt by a diverse group of musicians including Muddy Waters, Pete Seeger, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Frank Sinatra and Kurt Cobain.
Lead Belly lived a life that included brutalizing poverty and long stretches in prison to become an emblem of authentic American music. He is renowned for his songs - the best known of which include "Rock Island Line," "Goodnight, Irene," "The Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields" - as well as his prowess on the 12-string guitar.
In his sixty-plus years, he essentially lived two distinctly different lives: first, as a field worker, blues singer, rambling man and prisoner in the rural South; second, as a city-dwelling folksinger, performer and recording artist in the urban North.
Ironically, the Weavers sold 2 million copies of their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene" shortly after his death. "It's one more case of black music being made famous by white people," Pete Seeger, a member of the Weavers, said in 1988, the year of Lead Belly's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "It's a pure tragedy he didn't live another six months, because all his dreams as a performer would have come true."
"Lead Belly's songs remain standards for contemporary musicians," said Terry Stewart, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "His contribution has become so central to the American songbook that many Americans are unaware of the magnitude of his influence."
In November, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Case will present its Ninth Annual American Music Masters Series, Shine A Light On Me, a tribute to the life and legacy of Lead Belly.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
- The highlight of the series is the Tribute Concert at Severance Hall on Sunday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. Performers will include Robert Plant, Los Lobos, Odetta, Dave Alvin, Robert Lockwood, Jr. and others very special guests to be announced soon. Tickets are $20, $30 and $40.
- An interdisciplinary conference on Lead Belly's music, life and legacy, sponsored by Case Western Reserve University. Open to all audiences, this conference will take place on Saturday, November 6 beginning at 9:00 a.m. at Case's Ford Auditorium in the Allen Memorial Library.
Featuring a live interview with Tiny Robinson (Lead Belly's niece); presentations by authors Elijah Wald and Charles Wolfe; music and conversation with Oscar Brand and Josh White, Jr.; and special presentations by the Lomax Archives, Smithsonian/Folkways, and the Library of Congress Folklife Center. Keynote Speaker to be announced.
Additional information may be found at the Conference website, https://www.case.edu/events/amm or by calling 216-368-3836.
The cost of the conference is $30 and includes lunch. Case students attend for free and can register at https://www.case.edu/events/amm. Space is limited.
- The Cleveland Cinematheque will host a screening of Gordon Park's movie "Leadbelly" on Monday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $8. For more information call 216.421.7450.
- On Tuesday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m. there will be a screening of Lead Belly film footage in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Fourth Floor Theater. Tickets are $5.
- An evening with Kip Lornell, the author of the definitive biography, The Life and Legend of Leadbelly. This event, which will take place on Wednesday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m. in the Museum's Fourth Floor Theater, is free with Museum admission or $5 for just the event.
- The Museum will open a special Lead Belly exhibit on Thursday, November 4 in the Ahmet M. Ertegun Exhibition Hall. The Roots of American Music Group will perform. The Museum has been working closely with the Lead Belly estate to put together an exhibit of instruments, personal items and rare documents. This event is open for Museum members and their guests. For information on attending, contact the membership department at 888.588.ROCK (7625), ext. 3.
- There will be a concert at the Beachland Ballroom on Friday, November 5 at 8:00 p.m. The evening will feature Oscar Brand and Josh White, Jr. Tickets will be $12.
- After the conference at Case, there will be a surprise tribute concert at the Beachland Ballroom on Saturday, November 6. Stay tuned for details!
- Dan Zanes and Friends Family Show on Sunday, November 7 at 11:00 a.m. at the Harkness Chapel on the Case campus. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for kids 12 and under.
Tickets for the conference at Case and the tribute concert at Severance Hall will be available for pre-sale to Museum members Wednesday, September 15 - Tuesday, September 21. Contact the membership department at 888.588.ROCK, ext. 3 for more information. All other tickets will go on sale to the public Wednesday, September 22. Unless otherwise noted, all tickets are available at the Museum box office and through Ticketmaster at 216.241.5555 and https://www.ticketmaster.com .
For more information on the 2004 American Music Masters participants, stay tuned to the pressroom on https://www.rockhall.com.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum exists to educate its visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and significance of rock and roll music. The Museum carries out this mission through its efforts to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret this art form.
The Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays the Museum is open until 9:00 p.m. Museum admission is $20.00 for adults, $14.00 for seniors (60+), $11 for children (9-12) and children under 8 and Museum members are free.
