In July
1933, while Huddie was serving time in the
Louisiana State
Penitentiary on attempted
homicide charges (he'd previously served two sentences in
Texas for
assault and
murder), he was recorded by folklorist
John Avery Lomax and his son
Alan. The
Library of Congress was collecting
folk songs and the Lomaxes had discovered Southern
prisons to be a ripe place for collection. When the Lomaxes returned in
1934, Leadbelly gave them a
song that had gained him a
pardon in Texas. They recorded it, brought it to the
governor, and within a month, Huddie was a free man. (Good story, but state records suggests he was released under a "double good time" early release program and not the song).
He worked for the Lomaxes as a chauffeur and recording assistant, and by 1936 was performing in colleges and theaters. The Lomaxes cashed in on his convict status by having him wear prison uniform on stage. Disagreements over management and Huddie's carousing led to a split with John Lomax. He moved to New York to play in clubs and at political rallies (the musical climate of jazz and swing made his music a favorite only with the trade union movement, college students, and the liberal establishment).
The two principal sources of Leadbelly's music these days are Rounder Records (re-issuing the complete Library of Congress recordings) and Smithsonian/Folkways, although his recordings for Capitol Records and the American Record Company are still available (the latter from Sony).