Odetta Holmes, known professionally as Odetta, was a folk singer who gained popularity in the 1950s and '60s. Known as the "Voice of the Civil Rights Movement," her popular renditions of well-known civil rights anthems included "This Little Light of Mine" and "O Freedom" among many others.
The 77-year-old Holmes died on Tuesday, December 2, 2008. Holmes' manager says the singer died of heart disease.The New York Times: Odetta, Voice of Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 77 The Washington Post: Odetta...Sang the Soundtrack for the Civil Rights...
Quotes
"They were liberation songs. You’re walking down life's road, society's foot is on your throat, every which way you turn you can't get from under that foot. And you reach a fork in the road and you can either lie down and die, or insist upon your life."—Odetta HolmesThe New York Times: Odetta, Voice of Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 77
"The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta."—Bob DylanBBC News: US folk icon Odetta dies aged 77
References
Fast Facts
-
Fact:
Known as Odetta
-
Born
December 31, 1930
-
Birthplace
Birmingham, Alabama
-
Died
December 2, 2008
-
Fact:
Holmes died of heart disease at Manhattan's Lenox Hill HospitalBBC News: US folk icon Odetta dies aged 77
-
Fact:
-
Fact:
-
Fact:
-
Fact:
When asked what songs meant the most to her, civil rights activist Rosa Parks said, "All of the songs Odetta sings."The New York Times: Odetta, Voice of Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 77
