Odetta
Blues, Musical Artist
1930 – 2008
Who was Odetta?
Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a civil and human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals. An important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, she was influential to many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin. Time included her song "Take This Hammer" on its list of the All-Time 100 Songs, stating that "Rosa Parks was her No. 1 fan, and Martin Luther King Jr. called her the queen of American folk music."
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- Born
- Dec 31, 1930
Birmingham - Also known as
- Odetta Holmes
- Odetta Gordon
- Odetta Felious
- The First Lady of the Folk Song
- Spouses
- Louisiana Red
(1977 - 2008/12/02) - Gary Shead
- Dan Gordon
(1959 - )
- Louisiana Red
- Ethnicity
- African American
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- Los Angeles City College
- Lived in
- Birmingham
- Died
- Dec 2, 2008
New York City
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Odetta." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/odetta>.
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