Odetta

/oh det"euh/, n.

1. (Odetta Holmes), born 1930, U.S. folk singer.

2. a female given name.

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▪ 2009

Odetta Holmes Felious 

      American folk singer

born Dec. 31, 1930, Birmingham, Ala.

died Dec. 2, 2008, , New York, N.Y.

became for many the voice of the civil rights movement of the early 1960s, and her renditions of spirituals encapsulated the times. At age six Odetta moved with her family to Los Angeles. The family loved music, and at age 13 Odetta began studying classical voice. In 1950, on her first trip to San Francisco, she encountered the emergent folk scene. She took up guitar and began performing traditional music. Within a few years her career took off as she developed a distinctive mixture of folk, blues, and spirituals, sung in an impassioned and convincing style of her own. She moved (1953) to New York City, where she met singers Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte, who became loyal supporters. Her debut solo recording, Sings Ballads and Blues (1956), was soon followed by At the Gate of Horn (1957). Bob Dylan later said that hearing her on record “turned me on to folk singing.” She performed at the Newport (R.I.) Folk Festival four times during 1959–65, and she subsequently appeared on television and in several films. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, she continued to record as a leading folk musician—although recording could never do her performances justice. Her music and her politics fit in perfectly with the growing civil rights movement, and she sang at the March on Washington led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963), as well as for U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy. Inevitably, as the movements waned and interest in folk music declined, Odetta fell somewhat into obscurity, although she continued to perform. In 1999 Pres. Bill Clinton awarded her the National Medal of Arts; in 2003 the Library of Congress named her a Living Legend. She toured the U.S. during 2008, campaigning for presidential candidate Barack Obama, and had hoped to sing at his inauguration.

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▪ American folk singer

née  Odetta Holmes 

born Dec. 31, 1930, Birmingham, Ala., U.S.

died Dec. 2, 2008, New York, N.Y.

      American folk singer who was noted especially for her versions of spirituals (spiritual) and who became for many the voice of the civil rights movement of the early 1960s.

      After her father's death in 1937, Odetta moved with her mother to Los Angeles. She began classical voice training at age 13, and she earned a degree in classical music from Los Angeles City College. Though she had heard the music of the Deep South as a child, it was not until 1950, on a trip to San Francisco, that she began to appreciate and participate in the emergent folk scene. She soon learned to play the guitar and began to perform traditional songs. Her distinctive blend of folk (folk music), blues, ballads, and spirituals was powered by her rich vocal style, wide range, and deep passion. Within a few years her career took off. In the early 1950s she moved to New York City, where she met singers Pete Seeger (Seeger, Pete) and Harry Belafonte (Belafonte, Harry), who became loyal supporters. Her debut solo recording, Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (1956), was soon followed by At the Gate of Horn (1957). Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan (Dylan, Bob) later said that hearing Odetta on record “turned me on to folk singing.” She performed at the Newport (R.I.) Folk Festival four times during 1959–65, and she subsequently appeared on television and in several films.

      In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Odetta continued to record as a leading folk musician—although recordings did not do her performances justice. Her music and her politics suited the growing civil rights movement, and in 1963 she sang at the historic March on Washington led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (King, Martin Luther, Jr.) Inevitably, as the movement waned and interest in folk music declined, Odetta's following shrank, although she continued to perform. In 1999 Pres. Bill Clinton (Clinton, Bill) awarded her the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given in the arts in the United States, and in 2003 she was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress.

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