represent a landmark in American ethnomusicology, capturing a vast repertoire of folk, blues, and prison songs that might otherwise have been lost to time Historical Significance and Origin Recorded primarily between 1933 and 1942
Songs like "The Midnight Special" and "Goodnight, Irene" (the latter of which became a posthumous #1 hit).
Wait, I should check when Lead Belly died. He passed away in 1949, so his works might be in the public domain, but the recordings themselves, like those by the Library of Congress, could still be under copyright. The legal status can be tricky. For example, in the US, copyright lasts until 70 years after the author's death, but if the recordings were made by the government, they might be in the public domain. Need to verify that.