Film Review: Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll (2021) 

Official synopsis: George Harrison famously claimed: "No Lead Belly, no Beatles." Revered by countless musicians, the first record Janis Joplin ever bought was by Huddie Leadbetter: Lead Belly, who was born in poverty and went on to become King of the 12-string guitar and the greatest folk singer in the world according to Woody Guthrie. Hundreds of artists have covered his songs from The Beatles to The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, and Led Zeppelin. Interviews and performances by Janis Joplin, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney, B.B. King, Alan Lomax, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, and Odetta. 

There are blues legends, there are music legends, and then there is Huddie Leadbetter, more popularly known as Lead Belly. As children we heard and sang songs he either wrote or immortalized, even if we didn’t know who he was (“The Boll Weevil” and “Ha-Ha This a Way,” for example). As teenagers and adults, we heard songs he either wrote or immortalized even if we didn’t know much more about the man himself than before (such as “Black Betty” and “Irene, Goodnight”). 

Now, with the fascinating documentary Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll (AKA Lead Belly: Life, Legend, Legacy) director Curt Hahn helps the world learn more about the man behind those songs we know — and many more songs — as he shines, to use some of Lead Belly’s lyrics from his “The Midnight Special,” “an ever-lovin’ light” on the legendary musician.

Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll chronicles Black history in America as it tells Lead Belly’s life story, from his humble beginnings to his passing after being revered by musicians and fans alike. Having served two prison terms for acts of violence, he mostly overcame the judgement from others that go along with being an ex-convict, including performing concerts and recording an album for children, whom he loved. Besides prison, he had other obstacles to overcome, including a mutually productive but also strained relationship with folklorist John Lomax.

The interview subjects include Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, B.B. King, Joan Baez, Odetta, and Arlo Guthrie, but also, and quite importantly, relatives of Leadbetter, as well as of Lomax. The personal insight of these people who knew Leadbetter intimately is touching and informative.

Rich with clips of Lead Belly performing and of other musicians paying tribute with his songs, Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll should be considered must-see viewing for music fans of virtually all stripes: blues, folk, rock, and beyond. 

Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll from MVD Entertainment Group is currently screening on OVID. For more information, visit  https://www.ovid.tv/browse.

Joseph Perry also writes for the websites Gruesome Magazine (gruesomemagazine.com),The Scariest Things(scariesthings.com),Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), B&S About Movies (bandsaboutmovies.com),The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict(gbvreviews.com), andDiabolique Magazine(diaboliquemagazine.com), and film magazinesPhantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com)andDrive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom).

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