Odetta (1930 – 2008) was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement".

• Poet Maya Angelou once said --

"If only one could be sure that every 50 years a voice and a soul like Odetta's would come along, the centuries would pass so quickly and painlessly we would hardly recognize time."

Odetta Holmes was born December 31, 1930 in Birmingham, Alabama and died on December 2, 2008 from heart disease in New York, New York. She adopted the surname Felious from her stepfather while growing up in Los Angeles. Her father, listed as laborer in a steel factory in the 1930 census, died when she was an infant. (cite5)

Parents: Reuben Holmes (d. 1930) and Flora Sanders (1911-1988), who then married Zadock Felious (1907-1945); they moved from Birmingham, Alabama to Los Angeles, where Flora worked as a domestic and Zadock as a janitor.

Married:

1. on May 1, 1959 in Chicago to Chicago concert coordinator Daniel Gordon (b. ca 1927). (cite5). They lived in New York, where he was Judy Collin's manager; the marriage ended in divorce. (cite8)(cite10)
2. in 1967 engaged to marry Australian filmmaker and painter Garry Shead (cite8).
3. from 1977-1981 she was the companion of singer-guitarist Iversen "Louisiana Red" Minter, who was widowed. Their liason ended when he moved to Germany for better opportunities, and he later remarried. (cite6)(cite7)

Children:

1. Michelle Esrick of New York City (cite4)(cite10)
2. Boots Jaffe of Fort Collins, Colo (cite2) (cite4)(cite10)

Friends:

1. Maya Angelou (cite3)

you go weak in the knees when you hear her sing

Odetta had operatic training from the age of 13. Her mother hoped she would follow Marian Anderson, but she doubted a large black girl would ever perform at the Metropolitan Opera.

• Bob Dylan said about her:

"The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta. I heard a record of hers Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues in a record store, back when you could listen to records right there in the store. Right then and there, I went out and traded my electric guitar and amplifier for an acoustical guitar, a flat-top Gibson. ... [That album was] just something vital and personal. I learned all the songs on that record."

At her memorial service in February 2009 at Riverside Church in New York City, participants included Maya Angelou, Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, Geoffrey Holder, Steve Earle, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Peter Yarrow, Tom Chapin, Josh White, Jr. (son of Josh White), Emory Joseph, Rattlesnake Annie, the Brooklyn Technical High School Chamber Chorus, and videotaped tributes from Tavis Smiley and Joan Baez.[23]

Links

• video search for Odetta
• Wikipedia page on Odetta
• Odetta remembrance and archive at NPR Music
• Odetta's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project
• Google image search for Odetta
• Memorial Celebration For Odetta - slide show
• http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/2393094/person/-478746554

Citations

1. Ryzik, Melena (2009-02-26). "Remembering Odetta, Who Sang of Freedom". New York Times.
2. Sometimes through tears, members of Odetta’s family shared stories of Odetta’s penchant for late-night infomercial shopping and thriftiness. Boots Jaffe, whom Odetta considered a son, said she had been one of those people who had a box marked “long string,” a box marked “short string” and a box marked “string too short.” (Ryzik, ibid)
3. Maya Angelou said: “We were both tall black ladies with attitude, and most people were really scared of us. To be in the ’50s, black and turned away from almost everything and to say, ‘I have come here to stay’ and to be a sister of somebody who had courage is no small matter.” (Ryzik, ibid)
4. Odetta Obituary Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press
5. Odetta: Odetta Holmes Felious Gordon (1930-2008), U.S. black folksinger, civil rights activist. The singer's father died shortly after her birth. Her mother then married a janitor, Zadock Felious, whose surname she took. In 1959 she married Dan Gordon and added his name to the two she had already. Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins By Adrian Room, page 357
6. Odetta was married three times: to Don Gordon, to Gary Shead, and, in 1977, to blues musician Iverson Minter (Louisiana Red). The first two marriages ended in divorce; Minter moved to Germany in 1983 to pursue his performing career. Odetta, The Soul of American Folk Music!
7. 1972: His beloved wife died from cancer. 1981: Louisiana Red leaves the United States for living now in Germany. 1984: Marriage with his beloved wife Dora. Louisana Red: His Life
8. Didn't Marry Young White Australian, Says Odetta. Folk Singer Odetta, appearint at Washington D.C's. Cellar Door, told JET she never married young white, Australian film marker Garry Shead 25, as reported. "You might say, we got divorced before we got married," she laughed. She refused to say what caused the break, but admitted they were engaged and only broke off he engagement at the last minute. "We're still friends," she said, "but I don't want to talk about our relationship. That is over, but definitely. "Reports said Odetta and Shead were married June 20 in Tokyo, Japan, where the noted folk singer was appearing. Jet Sep 14, 1967
9. Folk Singer Odetta To Marry Concert Coordinator. Folk singer Odetta Felious, 28, was slated to marry Chicago concert coordinator Daniel Gordon, 31, at the Chicago Courthouse on May 1, according to announcements sent out by the couple. Odetta is presently completing an East Coast concert tour. Jet May 7, 1959
10. Odetta is survived by a daughter, Michelle Esrick of New York City, and a son, Boots Jaffre, of Fort Collins, Colo. She was divorced about 40 years ago and never remarried, her manager [of 12 years, Doug Yeager] said. Folk singer Odetta dies at 77 Posted: Wed., Dec. 3, 2008, 8:22am PT.