Very rare handwritten set list by Lead Belly, unsigned, written in pencil on an off-white 8.5 x 3.75 sheet, lightly lined, no date but circa 1948-1949. The set list consists of thirteen songs, including [spelling and grammar retained]: "John Henry," "Eler Louise," "albomabon," "Rock island Line," "Case Jones," "i ont going to well," "go Down old Honer," "Old man will dog catch a Rabbit," "Ruster Crow at midnight," "Ha Ha this way," and "swing loe sweet Chariet." An unknown hand has added "come along" and "ha ha this away" in the upper right. In fine condition.
Marjorie Fairbanks and her son Austen had taken over Lead Belly's professional management in 1948 after a falling out between him and the famous folklorist John Lomax, who had been acting as his manager. After performing a statewide tour of Minnesota in November 1948, Ledbetter would soon travel to Europe to perform, but time in Paris would be cut short due to his deteriorating health and the tragic diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Ledbetter returned to the United States at the end of May 1949, and played only two more shows in his life before passing away in December. Autograph material from Ledbetter is exceedingly scarce, with this set list representing perhaps one of the very last of his career.
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