You can't bury a black legend like Leadbelly!
The life of Blues and folk singer Huddie Leadbetter, nicknamed Leadbelly is recounted. Covering the good times and bad from his 20s to 40s. Much of that time was spent on chain gangs in the south. Even in prison he became well known for the songs he had composed and sung during and before the time he spent there.
Leadbelly (1976) is a drama film directed by Gordon Parks, released on May 28, 1976 with a runtime of 2h 6m. It stars Roger E. Mosley, James Brodhead, John McDonald and Leonard Wrentz. Viewers rate it 6.4 out of 10 across 8 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Leadbelly before you stream it.
Roger E. Mosley
as Huddie Ledbetter
James Brodhead
as John Lomax
John McDonald
as Tom Pruitt
Leonard Wrentz
as Guard
Ernie Hudson
as Archie
Dana Manno
as Margaret Judd
William Wintersole
as Sheriff Gibbons
Paul Benjamin
as Wes Ledbetter
Lynn Hamilton
as Sally Ledbetter
Carole Lamond
as Laura May
Melba Englander
as Evaline
Pamela Singleton
as Fat Bessie
Directed by Gordon Parks, written by Ernest Kinoy, produced by Marc Merson.
Average viewer score of 6.4/10 from 8 ratings.
Leadbelly (1976) opens with Huddie ‘Lead Belly’ Ledbetter (Roger E. Mosley) as an old man in prison. By “old” I mean they dyed Mosley’s hair and eyebrows gray, and even “dyed” might be an overstatement. Ledbetter is shirtless when we first meet him, so we can see he’s actually a strapping middle-age man. Perhaps that stuff on his hair is just dust from breaking rocks all day. Ethnomusicologists John and Alan Lomax…
Reviewed on June 16, 2026
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Leadbelly (1976) is currently available to rent or buy from JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Leadbelly (1976) includes Roger E. Mosley, James Brodhead, John McDonald, Leonard Wrentz and Ernie Hudson. The film was directed by Gordon Parks. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Leadbelly was released on May 28, 1976 and runs for 2h 6m.
Leadbelly (1976) holds an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 from 8 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Leadbelly trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
