Six months after he died, Pete Seeger and the Weavers released 'Goodnight Irene", a Leadbelly song that became a huge success for them. Seeger once said of Leadbelly, "If he had lived another year, I think he would have finally gotten the success he deserved."

Leadbelly is still considered perhaps the best 12-string blues/folk guitarists ever recorded and his range of influence continues to run through the ranks of music. Artists as varied as Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revivial, Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain have all acknowledge how deeply they were influenced by the self-avowed 'Master of The 12-String" and have recorded Leadbelly tracks and promoted his musical legacy.

Fifty years after his death, Leadbelly continues to be a larger than life figure in folk music and the blues.