MUSICIAN

Lead Belly

1888 - 1949

Photo of Lead Belly

Icon of person Lead Belly

Huddie William Ledbetter ( HYOO-dee; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly (not Leadbelly), was an American folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced, including his renditions of "In the Pines", "Pick a Bale of Cotton", "Goodnight, Irene", "Midnight Special", "Cotton Fields", and "Boll Weevil". Lead Belly usually played a twelve-string guitar, but he also played the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and windjammer. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Lead Belly has received more than 3,399,974 page views. His biography is available in 34 different languages on Wikipedia. Lead Belly is the 682nd most popular musician (down from 596th in 2019), the 3,491st most popular biography from United States (down from 3,109th in 2019) and the 209th most popular American Musician.

Memorability Metrics

  • 3.4M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 53.64

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 34

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.46

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.57

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Lead Belly ranks 682 out of 3,175. Before him are Robert Smith, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Eddie Vedder, Ahmet Ertegun, Vinnie Vincent, and Alan Price. After him are Eduard van Beinum, Jörg Demus, Paul de Senneville, Bill Bruford, Frans Brüggen, and The Edge.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1888, Lead Belly ranks 114. Before him are Léon Scieur, Sophus Nielsen, Carl Hilpert, Marcel L'Herbier, Michał Sopoćko, and Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch. After him are Sigfried Giedion, Árpád Szakasits, Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Josef Beran, Archduchess Isabella of Austria, and Friedrich Wolf. Among people deceased in 1949, Lead Belly ranks 81. Before him are Josep Maria Jujol, Nuri Killigil, Othon Friesz, Ivan Poddubny, Joaquín Torres-García, and Infanta Blanca of Spain. After him are Amadeo Giannini, James Forrestal, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Kanji Ishiwara, Boris Asafyev, and Tan Malaka.

Others Born in 1888

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Others Deceased in 1949

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Lead Belly ranks 3,491 out of 20,380. Before him are Besse Cooper (1896), Seymour Cassel (1935), Dick Scobee (1939), Del Shannon (1934), Maryanne Trump Barry (1937), and Clarence Zener (1905). After him are Michelle Monaghan (1976), Jerry Brudos (1939), Catherine Keener (1959), Walter Koenig (1936), Stone Cold Steve Austin (1964), and Scotty Moore (1931).

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Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Lead Belly ranks 209. Before him are Mick Mars (1951), Jeff Hanneman (1964), Chaka Khan (1953), Benny Golson (1929), Eddie Vedder (1964), and Vinnie Vincent (1952). After him are Scotty Moore (1931), Lee Morgan (1938), Rufus Wainwright (1973), Steve Lukather (1957), Louis Prima (1910), and Jerry Garcia (1942).

American born Musicians

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