7 The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time 7

was jailed again, this time for assault. When he was
released, he worked with Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry,
Brownie McGhee, and others as the Headline Singers,
performed on radio, and, in 1945, appeared in a short film.
In 1949, shortly before his death, he gave a concert in Paris.
Leadbelly died penniless, but within six months his song
“Goodnight, Irene” had become a million-record hit for the
singing group the Weavers; along with other pieces from his
repertoire, among them “The Midnight Special” and “Rock
Island Line,” “Goodnight, Irene” became a standard.
Leadbelly’s legacy is extraordinary. His recordings
reveal his mastery of a great variety of song styles and
his prodigious memory; his repertory included more than
500 songs. His rhythmic guitar playing and unique vocal
accentuations make his body of work both instructive and
compelling. Leadbelly’s influence on later musicians—
including Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Kurt
Cobain—was immense.

Carter Family

The group consisted of Alvin Pleasant Carter, known as A.P. Carter
(b. April 15, 1891, Maces Spring, Va., U.S.—d. Nov. 7, 1960, Kentucky),
his wife, Sara, née Sara Dougherty (b. July 21, 1898, Flatwoods, Va.,
U.S.—d. Jan. 8, 1979, Lodi, Calif.), and his sister-in-law Maybelle
Carter, née Maybelle Addington (b. May 10, 1909, Nickelsville, Va.,
U.S.—d. Oct. 23, 1978, Nashville, Tenn.).

T

he Carter Family was a singing group that was a
leading force in the spread and popularization of the
songs of the Appalachian Mountain region of the eastern
United States.
The family’s recording career began in 1927 in response
to an advertisement placed in a local newspaper by a talent
scout for Victor Records. Over the next 16 years, with two
of Sara’s children and three of Maybelle’s (Helen, June,