Center for the literary arts in New York State
LEAD BELLY: MAN AND MYTH, TRUTH AND LIES
Dom Flemons and Sheila Curran Bernard
Thursday, October 31, 2024
4:30 p.m. -- Craft Talk
University at Albany
Campus Center West Boardroom
1400 Washington Avenue Albany NY 12222 - See map.
7:30 p.m. -- Conversation / Q&A
Page Hall - University at Albany Downtown Campus
135 Western Avenue, Albany NY 12203 See map.
Join us for a fun, wide-ranging conversation about Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly. One of the most influential American musical artists of all time, Ledbetter left his indelible mark on many genres, including gospel, blues, country, folk, and rock & roll.
Known for his powerful vocals and brilliance on the 12-string guitar, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Photo credit Steven Holloway
Dom Flemons, “The American Songster,” is a Grammy-winning folk musician and— in many ways— an heir to Lead Belly’s artistic legacy. In 2015, he was chosen to host a star-studded 125th birthday celebration for Lead Belly at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and performed at a Lead Belly tribute at Carnegie Hall in 2016.
As cofounder of The Carolina Chocolate Drops, he received a Grammy for the album, Genuine Negro Jig, as well as four additional Grammy nominations. His album Black Cowboys peaked at #4 and spent over 55 weeks on the Billboard Bluegrass charts. In 2023, he premiered The Real Wild West, a documentary series on Curiosity Stream, and a definitive history of the diverse pioneers who shaped the American West.
Read more about Dom Flemons from NYS Writers Institute Intern Ashley Shields.
Sheila Curran Bernard is the author of Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly's Truths from Jim Crow's Lies (Cambridge University Press, 2024). Drawing on a revelatory examination of primary sources, Bernard contradicts the narrative crafted by the white folklorists who “discovered” Ledbetter in 1933 while he was incarcerated in Louisiana and, along with journalists and entertainment executives, introduced him to national audiences.
Replacing myth with fact, Bernard offers a stunning account of Ledbetter’s early life under Jim Crow, and the power of narrative to distort the past. She is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and author, and an associate professor in the Department of History at UAlbany.
Cosponsored by the University at Albany History Department, and the Department of Music and Theatre.
