leadbelly - house of the rising sun 

"If it was never new, and it never gets old, then it's a folk song."

Yes, Leadbelly killed someone in a drunken fight, but people glance over the fact that the other person was also trying to kill him. The life of a bluesman in the south most times ended in tragic despair. There is a reason the music is called "the blues." The stories are real, and painful.

Just discovered lead belly..looks like I found the legend behind all the legends..

When my gr4andfather, heard The Animals cover of this song, he just laughed and told me he first heard this song in New Orleans around 1916.... He said it was a urban myth about a Dope House in The French Quarter...

I think everyone should know that this isn't even Lead Belly singing on this track, it's his wife, if you listen you can even hear him mutter "let my baby sing" there is a version of him singing it called "In New Orleans" but this is NOT Lead Belly singing.

Such a legendary musician its hard to believe that he actually killed somebody. He was locked up in Angola Prison in Louisiana for a while which is one of the birthplaces of the blues. I just watched a documentary called Music From The Big House about some of the musicians who are currently incarcerated for life in Angola today. Really interesting stuff I definitely recommend it if you're a blues/country fan.

The legend of Leadbelly has spread far and wide. Like so so many Black American legends in music, sports, civil rights etc. From NZ and know the worth of this man.

Love, LeadBelly for most all of my 80+ years.

I don't care how many years one practices blues guitar. It's impossible to capture the sound and style of the original pioneering Bluesmen! There's something about it that's lost and will never be duplicated. I've been playing blues guitar for over 40 years and I'm still not even a pimple on Lead Belly's ass as a bluesman! I can play for sure, but I'm far from a bluesman and I would never call myself one!

The blues always carried a pack on its back filled with what was and what the future was to bring. Amazing stuff here.

This man is an absolute legend. Shame he isn't recognized as that by a lot of people. I didn't even know who this guy was until a few days ago

Here is a clarity on the folk origins on the inspiration for the lyrics of this song. first, like many American folk songs, no one knows the actual original singer, never mind who was the first to actually write down the lyrics. But there was house in New Orleans actually called "The Rising Sun" it was a brothel in the 1800s for several decades, and this is not a case of what came first the chicken or the egg, the Brothel did not lift it's title from some folk song, ( that's pretty much a late 20th century marketing idea) but that one or some folk blues singer (s) pieced it together like most songs by personal experience, or a familiar story or event . As for thinking that Bob Dylan or the Animals where the originators, well that happens with many songs back in the 50s-70s, as artist knew that good songs are rare and worth doing, unlike many who go for flash in the pan, trendy lyrics and tunes. The originator of the song "tom Dooley" was actually tom dooley, who left behind the words written on his jail wall, as he was hung the next day for the crime he mentioned in the song., it wasn't written by the Kingston trio, Peter Paul and Mary or anyone else, but it's been a popular folk song because it's truthful and relates a very human experience, as does the House of the rising sun (my favorite song of all times since 1966) it's a human experience song, timeless.

Every song I hear from this guy is better then the last. So many famous acts robbed him blind. Thanks for posting..

This song is based on an old English folk song from around the 1600's. The oldest known existing recording is of a man named Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster. Who recorded it for Vocalion Records in 1934. Ashely says he learned from his grandfather Enoch Ashley. It has been rewritten and rerecorded more times and by more artist, than probably, any song in history. But is best known by the Eric Burton and the Animals version.

This is a piece of American history. Thank you for uploading it!

awesome blues track, and this is leadbelly's wife singing the track and leadbelly playing the guitar. blues magic right here.

There is no one like Leadbelly. Thanks, Huddie Ledbetter, you made the world a better place.

My dad played and sang this song my entire life (37 years now) so I know every word yet I've never heard this version. Very cool to hear it in this way.

"No Leadbelly- no Beatles!" -George Harrison

Pure genius. This has stood the test of time. LOVE this song!!!

WOW! I NEVER heard this version before. Awesome Blues song.

When a man like Leadbelly sings you feel the pain in there voice. He went through hell and back in his lifetime..R.I.P Legend

Lead belly the overlooked and underrated badass southern blues man

I didn't know about him til I sold the distinctive guitar he played , I found in old house in phila I bought, love this American folk/blues music.

I found Lead Belly today through a FB quiz!! So many of my favourite songs were a cover of his originals 😢 I am having a bitter sweet flutter in my heart.

It doesn't matter who wrote this song. It's just so cool to hear earlier versions than the Animals who done this tune justice.

It's so amazing how influential these songs are, to all of the 60's and 70's rockers who became super stars and in turn those bands influenced my parents generation which then turned into bands like Nirvana who obviously covered "black girl" re-named by Kurt to "My Girl" for obvious reasons I think. I also think another aspect of this is that amazing is these songs were written by black folk who had no other outlet to voice their frustrations, sorrow, angst, and depression. They never intended them to become a genre nor visions of fame. Nope, they sang their sorrows away and it helped them cope with the atrocities known as slavery and in later years complete oppression. I just have so much respect for these musicians. As a huge music fan and a massive Nirvana fan, I am really grateful to that band for introducing Leadbelly to me thru their cover, once I found him, I was able to discover other great musicians from that genre and time period. These men sang about what they knew, it meant something to them. They were playing these songs to survive, not monetarily but spiritually. I am grateful these men recorded their music to be appreciated.

An excellent master from the old days!!! Thanks for sharing....

I SOO love this song. I never knew it went back so far! This is SOO cool. It has made my day to stumble across this gem! Thank you for sharing this.

screw it, I'm gonna sing this over "where did you sleep last night".. works..

I love blowing people’s minds who didn’t know this wasn’t an animals original

Carajo, cada versión es mejor, a casi un siglo de esta canción sigue siendo buena, mágica y nostálgica. 💁

Why would anyone downvote this? Leadbelly is legendary... I'm gonna go ahead and say that's 369 people I don't want to be friends with.

leadbelly - one of the greatest musicians to ever live.

House of the rising sun and the nirvana version of where did you sleep last night are some of my all time favorite songs, it’s a shame that I never knew about lead belly until recently

The greatest Blues by the beatifull soul of LEADBELLY.

What a great artist🎤😍

I was this many days old to learn how many songs were stolen from Ledbelly. I know he is far not the only African-American artist to have this happen to him. I truly hope that their contribution is brought to light

Leadbelly = Legend. Many copies and covers but this IS the blues

this a legendary song, in great voice

this aint rock and roll, and wasn't meant to be , this is heart n soul

Man, he’s the progenitor of all rock, isn’t he?

this is one of my favorite songs of all time, to make sure something is a good song make sure lead belly has sung it

Brilliant is this one of Lead Belly i love all his Blues.

This is music at its roots... If you have a open mind to music this is awesome. So bluesy

I am in full agreement with you on that buddy. I can play quite a few blue songs, including several Robert Johnson tunes, but that version of HRS by Leadbelly still leaves me all in a knot when I try to figure out where he is, tuning-wise, etc. It is also one of the greatest finger-picked songs I have ever heard.

He's like the grandfather of rock and roll. So many legendary rock songs are covers of his songs

not knowing this band... they have amazing songs. thanks Kurt for leading me here.

Thanks for posting this. Good sound quality especially considering the recording equipment available during his time.

thank you kurt for always giving credit to the people you cover. it makes young nirvana fans like myself discover this beautiful music.

Old Missisippi/ La.Bayou blues=core of rock. Real life ups&downs of common ppl. G•father left me blues albums, LB included. K Cobain did this legend proud. Introduced new generation to REAL thang☺♡ RIP, LB & KC

Even though your high in heaven we remember and love you leadbelly .

Thanks for posting these gems. What a treasure trove!!!! I hit the jackpot!!!!! :-)

there was a build'n wall in Huntsville, TX with his portrait on it~ rite around tha corner from death row... he's a favorite of mine 😊

All these years I heard the Animals singing this song. I had no idea it was an original decades before. Such is music origins.

He never gets old.

How can someone "dislike" this? Seriously. What did they think it was going to sound like or be? Its almost insulting that someone would dislike this. Great post, thanks for sharing this version.

No one really knows how old this song really is. Nor its exact origins... its original rendition. But each subsequent take on it seems to work and work well.

Excellent bulesman music human being u inspire me everyday brother Leadbelly

Lead Belly was the Blue Print behind so many artist, his entire catalogue was remade by so many artist.

THANKS TO LEADBELLY'S GRANDSON for signing his grandfather's album for me-it was an AWESOME Birthday surprise @ The Mustang Shop in Shreveport, Louisiana on 6-20-2016, sincerely, Angel

fabulous!! blues like it is meant to be

Waylon Jennings was my first introduction to this unforgettable classic.

Even more amazing is how the Stones Yardbirds took music like this and turned out their version of the blues. I can picture Keith and Mick Taylor playing right along side Leadbelly..

this is a goldmine - stunned :-D

there's a good book called "chasing the rising sun" that suggests this song may trace back to the 16th century england

Wow!! So this man originally sang many of my favorite songs. Im so stiled to have discovered a new (to me) artist. WhereDid You Sleep Last Night? is my favorite song Nirvana does and i knew it was a cover but i had never heard the original until about 5 minutes ago. So i then looked up Leadbelly and i am amazed! This man was most definitely ahead of his time

Real music outlives many of us and will for many years to come.

many did this tune possibly 150 years ago

legends never die they Rome the earth above us singing heartache and pain.

WOW! I love Ledbelly even more

deep, in the spirit of ray hat tap dancer, mr. leadbelly an inspiration always!

Of the many versions of this song I've heard, I love the The Animals version best. Just discovered lead belly..looks like I found the legend behind all the legends..

Oryginał legendarnej piesni

Awesome, it clearly was a release to sing the blues in those days.

we have to thanks all these people that kept the song alive and share it with the world. If not, it would have been lost to time. Mankind is a forgetful being. We easily forget those that come before us. Truth becomes myth and myth becomes legends. Without the past, there wouldn't be a future.

awesome rendition. unencumbered---love how people are talking in the background but it kinda makes it more original in a way...

The blues were rejected by mainstream America but the British musicians embraced the blues, repackaged, and brought it back to mainstream America. The British musicians also respected the blues singers and even toured with them in Europe. Funny how racism and segregation can turn a blind eye toward incredible music and talented black musicians.

never realized how many great songs originally came from this guy. What a legend

Absolutely spine-tingling

I never really realized how many songs can be attributed to lead belly, this.. black bettie and many and many others to numerous to mention. Elvis, Dylan, artists known by one name only are doing covers of Lead belly. He is an unsung hero of the blues ... covered by many greats. Now we have .... well nothing ... cyrus beiber and a turn to the foundation.

Leadbelly started it...the Animals perfected it. Both were great

When you discover the Blues you discover music. And most often you discover it starts with Leadbelly.

Just yesterday I went to the 3rd Annual Leadbelly Tribute just outside Shreveport, LA. I had no idea it was the church where he's buried. The blues is alive in my town.

O Kurt adorava esse senhor.

This version is sung by Leadbelly's wife. These are the lyrics from Leadbelly's singing of the song: There is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun It's been the ruin of a many a poor boy And me, oh God, I'm one I'm goin' to tell my baby sister Please don't do like I have done Please shun that house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun If I had listened at what my momma said I woulda not been here today Huddie be so young, so foolish, and so wild (Huddie is pronounced hew-dee) I let a rambler lead me astray I'm goin' back to New Orleans My race is almost run I'm goin' back to New Orleans Beneath the Rising Sun

For anyone confused and I SEE alot of people confused. Leadbelly is NOT singing here its his wife. Thats why you cant hear him remind her the words "Go tell my baby sisters" before she starts singing it at 1:17

I'm honoured to anounce that I have just discovered this music.

New Orleans Louisiana. Be very careful out dare!

It's astonishing how many rock bands bit off leadbelly songs

This man truly knew hard times, something that we have never experienced.

have played this song so many ways,,,

He must have made millions off the number of covers people adopted into their acts.

Maestro

Beautiful°°°°°°ALWAYS!

So refreshing. Thank you.

Not many people realize just how influential for music Lead Belly was. He can be credited with hundreds of standard and often-covered songs.

leadbelly - house of the rising sun

The oldest known existing recording is by Appalachian artists Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster, who recorded it for Vocalion Records in 1934. Ashley said he had learned it from his grandfather, Enoch Ashley

I Offer My Gratitude 4 This Legendary Song Whether Blues or Leadbelly it's auditory Gold in