Folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta Holmes, known professionally as Odetta, died this week of heart disease at the age of 77.
Odetta influenced a generation of singers such as Janis Joplin, Tracy Chapman, Janis Ian, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez with her folk, blues, and gospel classics. Dylan was quoted as saying, “The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta. From Odetta, I went to Harry Belafonte, the Kingston Trio, little by little uncovering more as I went along.” By the way, I missed my change to blog about the October 1, 2008 passing of Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio. They are my all time favorite folk group.
Odetta had a great voice that could range from delicate high notes to husky low notes. She was born in Birmingham, AL in December 1930. After her father died in 1936, the family moved to Los Angeles. Although she escaped the Deep South, Odetta still suffered racism in California. She was classically trained as a vocalist as a child, but grew weary of that. While appearing in “Finian’s Rainbow” as part of the chorus, she followed the production to San Francisco and met up with a high school friend. It was there she was first exposed to folk music, a night that would change her life. Odetta said, “I borrowed a guitar and learned three chords, and started to sing at parties.” She said the folk songs touched a place in her that held deep-seated hate and fury.
She took a job working at a folk club in 1950. Soon after, her first album, “The Tin Angel,” was released and she began touring. She quickly became a fixture on the folk scene along with the likes of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, often appearing on the Newport Folk Festival.
Odetta branched out to acting, appearing in “Cinerama Holiday,” Sanctuary,” and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” President Clinton gave her with the National Medal of Arts award in 1999 and in 2004, she was named one of the Kennedy Center Honorees. In 2005, the Library of Congress gave her the Living Legend Award.
Of folk music, Odetta said that it is “our inheritance” and felt while some “might not like it,” they still needed to hear it.