Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and civil 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 influenced many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin. In 2011 Time magazine included her recording of "Take This Hammer" on its list of the 100 Greatest Popular Songs, stating that "Rosa Parks was her No. 1 fan, and Martin Luther King Jr. called her the queen of American folk music."
"Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song)" (also known as In Them Old Cotton Fields Back Home) is a song written by American blues musician Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, who made the first recording of the song in 1940.
Judith Anne Henske was an American singer and songwriter, dubbed "the Queen of the Beatniks" by producer Jack Nitzsche. Initially performing in folk clubs in the early 1960s, her performances and recordings embraced blues, jazz, show tunes, and humorous material. Her 1963 recording of "High Flying Bird" was influential on folk-rock, and her 1969 album Farewell Aldebaran, with husband Jerry Yester, was an eclectic "fusion of folk music, psychedelia, and arty pop".
Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues is the debut solo album by American folk singer Odetta. It was released in November 1956 by Tradition Records.
Odetta Sings Dylan is an album by American folk singer Odetta, issued by RCA Victor in 1965. It consists of covers of Bob Dylan songs.
Dean L. Gitter was an entrepreneur, musician, and real estate developer in the Catskills in New York State.
"Waterboy" is an American traditional folk song. It is built on the call "Water boy, where are you hidin'?" The call is one of several water boy calls in cotton plantation folk tradition.
The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Richard Dyer-Bennet, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, John Jacob Niles, Susan Reed, Paul Robeson, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Cisco Houston had enjoyed a limited general popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. The revival brought forward styles of American folk music that had in earlier times contributed to the development of country and western, blues, jazz, and rock and roll music.
Richard MacQueen Wellstood was an American jazz pianist.
Odetta's discography is large and diverse, covering over 50 years and many record labels.
Odetta at Town Hall is a live album by American folk singer Odetta, recorded at Town Hall, New York, NY. At this time, Odetta was at the height of her career and performed an annual concert at the venue, typically in the month of April. It is not clear if this is her 1961 or 1962 concert performance. It could potentially be a compilation of her performances at Town Hall throughout the early 1960s. This album was first issued in 1962, as per the Vanguard Discography logs. The internet and some CD reissues will sometimes incorrectly report that this album was released in 1963.
Blues Everywhere I Go is an album by American folk singer Odetta, released in 1999. It was her first new release in more than a decade.
Gonna Let It Shine: A Concert for the Holidays, is a live album by American folk singer Odetta, released in 2005. It was recorded at Fordham University in New York City for a public radio broadcast.
Odetta Sings Folk Songs is a studio album by American folk singer Odetta, released on the RCA Victor label in September 1963. The album peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.
The Best of Odetta: Ballads and Blues is a compilation album by American folk singer Odetta, originally released in 1994.
Livin' with the Blues is a compilation album by American folk singer Odetta, originally released in 2000.
Sometimes I Feel Like Cryin' is an album by American folk singer Odetta, released in 1962. It was her first release for RCA Victor.
Odetta Sings the Blues is an album by American folk singer Odetta, released in 1968. It is a reissue of the 1962 Riverside release Odetta and the Blues.
Vanguard Visionaries is a compilation album by American folk singer Odetta, released in 2007.
The Tradition Masters is an album by American folk singer Odetta, released in 2002.
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