Rare footage of a legendary bluesman

iFilm.com has posted a real gem, rare footage — in fact the only footage known to exist — of the great blues singer Huddie Ledbetter, or Leadbelly, available for viewing here. These three songs were filmed in 1945, late in the singer’s career, but still a few years before his health started failing. A special note to parents of young children: “Leadbelly Sings for Children” (which is not available for download as far as I know, although all the songs can be downloaded individually at Smithsonian Global Sound, and it can be purchased here), a record I grew up with, is one of the all-time great records for young children — and not half bad for grown-ups either.