Getty Images / Brad Barket
Folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta (Odetta Holmes) died Tuesday in Los Angeles, after a struggle with heart disease. Part of the folk revival in the 1960s, Odetta was an influence on other singers, including Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez. She especially enjoyed bringing black history through song to children through her recordings and personal appearances. Hers was a voice I loved to hear, and she will be sorely missed.
The picture shows Odetta earlier this year, February 29, 2008, with Ruby Dee and Lou Gossett Jr, at the Campaign for The Ossie Davis Endowment held at the Martin Luther King Labor Center.
Comments
Thank you for the notice and brief tribute to Odetta, one of the beautiful voices raised in our time on behalf of social justice for all.
When I watch the inauguration of President Obama, I will hear Odetta’s voice and I will rejoice.