Back in 2011, some amazing videos appeared with a fellow named Colin David who played some really cool Leadbelly-esque songs. I mean, Holy Cow, these are not easy songs. I'm very impressed by what he was able to do.
Check out the Midnight Special:
The Midnight Special
I also like this variant of House In New Orleans. Leadbelly did the familiar version which has been recorded by many others, but also this variant version which has a different melody and some different lyrics:
Way Down in New Orleans
. I've tried to track him down, without success. All I know from his videos is that he used to play at McCleary's Pub in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I even called McCleary's but no one could identify him. I kind of doubt whether Colin David is his real name, or at least I've not been able to find him via Google or the other usual search methods.
I wonder if it might have been tough to find an audience that appreciates Leadbelly songs in Lancaster County, but I would think the video medium is a perfect way to reach people all over the world.
I certainly hope that Mr. David will return to recording videos. I think he's very talented and hope that the rest of the world will have the opportunity to listen.
Somewhere out there, I feel certain that one of you folks knows Mr. David, and I hope you'll let me know more about him and whether he's still out there playing Leadbelly songs someplace. If you can shed light on this mystery, I hope you'll post a comment to this blog or get in touch with me some other way.
No comments:
Post a Comment