Alvin Singh II Great-Great Nephew of Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter | Co-Manager, Lead Belly Estate | Lead Archivist, Lead Belly Archives
Alvin Singh II grew up knowing Huddie Ledbetter not as a legend — but as family.
As the great-great nephew of Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter and the grandson of Tiny Robinson, Lead Belly’s niece, Alvin carries a connection to his great-great uncle that is both deeply personal and historically significant. His father, the late Dr. Alvin Singh Sr., recalled childhood memories of living in the same New York apartment building as Huddie and Martha Ledbetter — sitting on his uncle’s knee while the King of the 12-String Guitar played for him, waking “Unka Huddie” up in the mornings requesting a song, and being treated to a command performance each night before bed. Those stories became the foundation of Alvin’s mission.
Today, Alvin co-manages the Lead Belly estate alongside his sister Terika Dean, and serves as Director of the Lead Belly Foundation and Lead Archivist of the Lead Belly Archives — a collection of thousands of historical items including receipts, letters, concert flyers, photographs, and records that document one of the most important lives in American music history.
His work has taken him from the Library of Congress to the stages of SXSW Interactive, from museum panels to documentary production suites. He is a contributor to the landmark book Lead Belly: A Life in Pictures, which brought family photographs and personal materials into public view for the first time. He is also the Executive Producer of Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock & Roll — the authorized documentary featuring interviews with Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, B.B. King, Odetta, and Paul McCartney, among others. The film was screened at the Boogie Woogie Marshall 2025 festival in Marshall, Texas — the land where Lead Belly’s story began — where Alvin described the experience as a “full turnaround moment.”
He has spoken at conferences, diversity summits, museums, and the Library of Congress. He is an author, entrepreneur, and advisor to technology startups. But at the center of everything he does is a single, steady commitment — making sure the world knows who Huddie Ledbetter was, where he came from, and why it all matters.
“I’d like to spark that kind of discussion,” Alvin has said of the ongoing discovery of Lead Belly’s influence by new generations. “That trickling down — that’s what this work is for.”