Director Gordon Parks (The Learning Tree, Shaft) brings to the screen the life of legendary folksinger, Huddie Ledbetter aka Lead Belly, master of the 12-string guitar and long-time convict on Texas and Louisiana chain gangs. Lead Belly's work was first brought to the public through the historical recordings by folklorists John and Alan Lomax in 1933-34 while Lead Belly was serving a prison sentence for attempted murder. He would go on to become a major influential figure of American folk music, inspiring artitst such as Bob Dylan.