Old East Dallas in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Leadbelly
1889-1949
Photographed by Kayla Harper, June 28, 2020
1. Leadbelly Marker
Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Leadbelly, was one of the most famous African American folk singers in American history. Born in Caddo Parish, Louisiana (near Shreveport), Leadbelly grew up on a small farm owned by his sharecropping parents. He left home as a young man, and by 1908 was living in East Texas, where he married his first wife, Aletta Henderson. In late 1910, the couple moved to Dallas, and around 1912, Leadbelly met the legendary Blind Lemon Jefferson in Deep Ellum, with whom he worked and traveled until 1917, when he was sentenced to life in prison for killing a man in a fight over a woman. He was pardoned in 1923 by the Governor of Texas after he improvised a song for him, called "Governor's Neff Blues," about his wife and family. Leadbelly moved back to Louisiana, where he was later arrested again. Folklorist John Lomax found Leadbelly at Angola State Prison and pleaded with the Governor of Louisiana for his release. In the late 1930s and '40s Leadbelly toured college campuses and participated in labor rallies and festivals.
Erected by Deep Ellum Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is
this page online
Location. 32° 47.02′ N, 96° 46.817′ W. Marker is in Dallas, Texas, in Dallas County. It is in Old East Dallas. It is on Commerce Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3000 Commerce Street, Dallas TX 75226, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sons of Hermann in Dallas (approx. 0.3 miles away); Baylor University Medical Center (approx. 0.4 miles away); Baylor College of Dentistry (approx. 0.4 miles away); City of East Dallas (approx. 0.4 miles away); Wilson Block (approx. half a mile away); William Sidney Pittman (approx.
Photographed by Kayla Harper, June 28, 2020
2. Leadbelly Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Continental Gin Company Showroom Building (was approx. Ό mile away but has been confirmed missing); Original Site of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Dallas (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Communications in Dallas (was approx. 0.6 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,499 times since then and 98 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 29, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
