Huddie William Ledbetter

The legendary folk and blues musician who came to be known as “Leadbelly” (although he wrote his stage name as “Lead Belly,” was born in 1988 as Huddie William Ledbetter in January 1888. Most often playing his twelve-string guitar, he also played the piano, mandolin, harmonica and even the violin. Having died in 1949, he was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Some additional trivia for those who like to mix music and politics: A recording of his remarks for The Smithsonian Folkways Collection explaining why he wrote the song “Scottsboro Boys” (about 9 African American men falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931), may be the first recorded use of the term “woke.” In the recording he tells the listeners they “Best stay woke!”