

Lead Belly's impact is felt throughout rock history, in the blustery shouts of John Lennon and in Led Zeppelin's stirring acoustic folk textures. When Kurt Cobain needed a wailing climax for MTV Unplugged in New York, he covered the folk singer's “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”. Lead Belly's folk-scene bona fides are so assured even Dylan gives him a shout-out in his early cut “Song to Woody”.