The Lead Belly Foundation is a non profit
organization founded by Queen “Tiny” Robinson
neice of Huddie Ledbetter for the purpose of enriching
our lives through music...
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Our Mission |
| To
provide support and teaching needs of the music
community through the preservation, conservation
and continuing accessibility of the legend Huddie
“Lead Belly” Ledbetter’s original
materials to enrich the lives of students ,aspiring
artist, his contemporaries, and successors will
be performing to continue to teach and influence
Lead Belly's style in blues and folk music. |
Our Vision |
| Community involvement
in music education leading to academic success and
life sustaining careers. |
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Foundation Values |
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Excellence in
education |
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Support school programs |
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Volunteer service to meet
educational needs
for students
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Accountability for results |
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Preserve musical heritage |
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To assure support and long term access to Huddie
“Lead Belly” Ledbetter’s music collections,
and other shared memories.
To sponsor music workshops, music institutes, summer camps and
concerts in which the music of Lead Belly, his contemporaries,
and successors will be performing to continue to teach and influence
Lead Belly’s style in blues and folk music.
Continual enhancement and maintenance of Lead Belly’s
grave in Mooringsport, Louisiana which has been a national shrine
for music lovers both in the United States and abroad.
To provide music scholarships to individual school-age students
who desire to study a musical instrument for the purpose of
enriching their lives academically, recreationally and socially.
We will provide continual support to students who aspire to
further their musical talents by attending college and create
mentor relationships for them to enter into the career world
successfully.
To provide support to school music programs in order to enhance
academic success, and increase the understanding and enjoyment
of music.
To establish a museum to exhibit Lead Belly archives and memorbilia
to further expose the many facets of Huddie Ledbetter. |
MAKE A DONATION TO THE
FOUNDATION HERE
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Famous
Quotes
Alex Haley, author of “Roots”
says
“Lead Belly is kind of the Mount
Everest of Blues Singer.”
Paul
Robeson wrote
“Our American Negro folk songs
spran directly out of our lives-our working lives- like
John Henry ballards and countless others so superbly sung
by Lead Belly.”
Bob Dylan has admitted
"A debt to Lead Belly”
Janis Joplin said
‘It was Lead Belly first”
Keith Richards (Rolling Stone) tries
to
“Keep rolling, to grow
up the art of rock n’ roll, to age with the weather-beaten
diginity of his mentors, the great, hard living bluesmen
like Lead Belly.”
Roy Orbinson saw himself as an
“allround singer like Lead Belly who sang all kinds
of material.”
Van Morrison said
” Lead Belly was
not an influence, he was the influence. If it wasn’t
for him, I may never have been here. I don’t think
he’s really dead. A lot of people’s bodies die
but I don’t think their spirits die with them.”
Kurt Cobain
”idolizes blues legend, Huddie
Ledbetter
Josh White in recalling Lead Belly,
”Had enormous respect for the
gaint of folk song.”
Alan Lomax wrote that Lead
Belly
”Sang the blues
wonderfully,but he was much bigger than that. He encompassed
the whole black era, from square dance calls to the blues
of the 30’s and 40’s”
Robert Plant says
“He was one of the main movers
when I was a kid.”
Oscar Brand says
“There are very few people left
alive who knew Lead Belly as a person. Like Woody, he was
an icon. But I can’t help but think of him as a friend.”
Odetta says
“Lead Belly’s music still
strikes a chord today, because it addresses our human condition.”
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Lead
Belly