Heaven must be a beautiful place today. We here on Earth have lost the legendary folk and blues singer Odetta, a woman whose music made her a central figure of and one of the most cherished of voices for folk music and, more importantly, the civil rights movement in America of the 1950′s and 1960′s.

More than merely the voice of a generation, her music was part of the wheels that spun which brought about change. She embodied the traditions of folk music even as she found success in the folk movement of the 1950′s & 1960′s, a woman who would make appearances on the coffee house circuit and, at the same time, could fill the house at Carnegie Hall. Her voice rang out the strains of slavery and oppression, performing “O’ Freedom” to the crowd at the famous March on Washington in 1963. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she brought a passion to folk music which never wavered or faltered. I believe personally that when people first used the term “soul music”, they were referring to Odetta.

There is no way to explain her music to someone who has never heard her than simply, “it touches a part of your soul that you never knew was there, making you at once angry and unafraid, ready and wanting to stand up and take action”.

From time to time, I face losses like this from the perspective of more than simply a writer or a historian or a reviewer. In this instance, I take Odetta’s passing very personally; at twelve years of age, I was blessed to (thanks to an introduction from Joyce Cobb) meet and share a stage with Odetta at the Memphis Music Heritage Festival where we sang “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” together. The time that we spent together before, during, and after that night has left a lasting impression on me and an impact that I can’t fully describe. It has meant more to me as I have grown older, for as a child I only knew that Odetta was a sweet and gentle lady who took an interest in who and what I was about. It subconsciously explains to me many of my own life experiences, my choices as a writer, as a performer and as a person. Her loss hasn’t fully tagged me yet. I am still processing, but I am very saddened.

I have neither the inclination nor the patience to regurgitate the minutiae of her career; I leave that to the capable hands of the International Herald Tribune. Instead, I leave you with some of her music and encourage you to find more.

There are few whose passion and determination are matched in the power of their voice. There are only a handful in all the world who understood and bore the traditions of folk music with such sincerity. There was only one Odetta, and partially because of her gift to the world, it seems that the world has finally turned.

Perhaps, and with good reason mind you, she felt it was time to go ahead and go; that perhaps, at last, her work here was done. But the hard work truly has begun; until we have freedom, justice and equality for all people living in this country, the struggles of which Odetta sang must continue on.

Odetta – Freedom Trilogy (Oh Freedom, Come & Go With Me, I’m On My Way) _{from the album At Town Hall}

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