Odetta

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There are at least two artists that go by this name.

Odetta (December 31, 1930 - December 2, 2008) was an African-American singer whose repertoire consists largely of American folk music, blues, and spirituals.

She was born Odetta Holmes in Birmingham, Alabama, grew up in Los Angeles, California, and studied music at Los Angeles City College. Having operatic training from the age of 13, her first professional experience was in musical theater, with a touring company of the musical Finian’s Rainbow in 1949.

While on tour with Finian’s Rainbow, Odetta “fell in with an enthusiastic group of young balladeers”, and after 1951 concentrated on folksinging. She made her name by playing around the country: at the Blue Angel nightclub (New York City), the hungry i (San Francisco), and Tin Angel (San Francisco), where she and Larry Mohr recorded Odetta and Larry in 1954, for Fantasy Records.

A solo career followed, with Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (1956) and a live album recorded at the Gate of Horn in Chicago in 1957. Harry Belafonte included her in a nationwide television special in 1959, and Odetta Sings Folk Songs was one of 1963’s best-selling folk albums. Martin Luther King, Jr. called her “the queen of American folk music”.

Having previous acting experience, Odetta also acted in several films, notably the film of William Faulkner’s Sanctuary (1961) and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974).

Tagged as:

folk, blues, female vocalists, gospel, americana
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Odetta Sings Dylan
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Odetta and the blues
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KralSalak wrote:
4 hours ago

i loved her voice and music

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Eeelz wrote:
November 2009

gallows pole...the greatest!

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lascivit wrote:
September 2009

when i'm high I AM Odetta

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nancykitten wrote:
August 2009

Her voice had such authority.

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rotten-piggy wrote:
August 2009

can't stop repeating - amazing voice!

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marcelodylan wrote:
July 2009

OH THE HUMANITY, WHAT A VOICE LOVE ODETTA!!1

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clarahermeto wrote:
May 2009

oh my, that voice.

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oompaloompa1 wrote:
May 2009

that voice

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PalCaremusic wrote:
March 2009

Odetta will live forever!

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buiksloot wrote:
February 2009

I am hoping she was able to watch Obama's election on television, and died with great hopes for the future and excitement over singing at the inauguration. requiescat in pace

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Castizo wrote:
January 2009

Voz espectacular.

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northstar1299 wrote:
December 2008

Glory, Glory! An inspiration for the generations across all walks of life. R.I.P.

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morti-viventi wrote:
December 2008

spaceicorn: me too! RIP. No one had a voice and a soul like hers.

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SilviB wrote:
December 2008

R.I.P to a musical legend and and insipiration to countless of other great musicians and regular folk like me. I love her music!

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Ciacchi wrote:
December 2008

fuck, I had just discovered her music and now I hear she's dead. She's amazing

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thomas10 wrote:
December 2008

Her music is historical. It'll never die!

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godwand wrote:
December 2008

RIP =(

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bigjackd wrote:
December 2008

a dear sweet lady with a great soul and voice you'll be missed thanks for all you did!! Requiescant In Pace

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Carlos44 wrote:
December 2008

R.I.P. the great artist...

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dreamworkvelvet wrote:
December 2008

RIP The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement as died

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