Leadbelly
Rock Island Line

Listening notes

Leadbelly’s Rock Island Line is a 1964 vinyl release on Folkways Records, catalog number FF 1, categorized under blues. Credited to Leadbelly, the album presents thirteen titles distributed across two sides, with seven tracks on side A and six on side B. The sequencing places the album’s namesake, Rock Island Line, as A5, anchoring a side that also includes Cotton Song (A1), Ha Ha This Way (A2), Sukey Jump (Win'jammer) (A3), Black Girl (A4), Blind Lemon (A6), and Bottle Up And Go (A7). Side B continues with On A Monday (B1), Shorty George (B2), Duncan And Brady (B3), Old Riley (B4), Leavin' Blues (B5), and Pigmeat (B6).

Issued by Folkways Records and identified by its FF 1 catalog number, the album arrives firmly within the blues genre designation provided. The tracklist draws together a range of titled pieces associated with Leadbelly’s repertoire, from narrative ballads to titles suggestive of work songs and blues forms, as indicated solely by their names. The layout is straightforward, with the A and B sides clearly delineated and each cut assigned a position identifier.

For reference purposes, the essential release details are: artist Leadbelly; title Rock Island Line; label Folkways Records; catalog number FF 1; year 1964; format vinyl; genre blues. The tracklist consists of thirteen entries, ordered A1 through A7 and B1 through B6, as listed above. No additional information on recording dates, personnel, or production is provided here.

This entry is intended to document the basic identifiers and contents of the release for cataloging and verification. It reflects only the confirmed details supplied, focusing on label, year, format, genre, and track sequence. Further commentary on origins, reception, or specific session context is outside the scope of the available data and therefore not included in this draft.