ODETTA Queen of American Folk visits TO.
Legendary Civil Rights Activists and Singer warms' over Hugh’s Room
Nov 27, 2008
Odetta was born on New Years’ eve 1930 in Birmingham Alabama, but grew up in Los Angeles. She showed a keen interest in music from an early and got her formal music education at Los Angeles City College.
Touring the Musical Finian's Rainbow
Her first professional musical experience was in musical theater. One season while touring with the musical Finian’s Rainbow, she met up with a group of young folks singers and was introduced to the blues of Sonny Terry. Soon after that she began concentrating on folk singing.
In the early fifties she traveled to New York and appeared at the famed Blue Angel Folk Club, singing with people like Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte. Her debut album was released a year after her appearance at the club in 1954.
Singing and Walking with Dr Martin Luther King
Her most active recording period was in the sixties when she released sixteen albums.
Many of them, including: Odetta At Carnegie Hall, Odetta and The Blues and Odetta Sings Dylan, were released to rave reviews and won critical acclaim.
She also took time out of her busy recording and touring schedule to be a major contributor to the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr Martin Luther King, who in 1961 crowned her the Queen of American folk music. It was an honor she accepted graciously.
She awed and inspired many of her fellow artists including Dr Maya Angelou, who made this statement about her: “If only one can be sure that every fifty years a voice like Odetta’s would come along, the centuries would pass so quickly and painlessly we would hardly recognize time”.
Throughout her long career she has won critical acclaim and many awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Award Medal which was presented to her by then President of the United States Bill Clinton. It was a fitting tribute for such a great artist.
At Hugh’s Room
Lately her health has managed to disrupt her tours, so it was a very eager crowd that gathered at the Hugh Room to hear this formidable woman.
She was pushed on stage by her accompanist and the crowd that had earlier enjoyed a very lively set from opening act Micah Barnes, quickly settled down.
She surveyed the crowd with a smile, before telling them how grateful she was to them for coming out to see her and then began to sing. She opened up with a political number. “Something so strong”, right after she warned the folks who didn’t like politics with their entertainment to give her five and promised to “Be right back with you.”
During her set she paid tribute to folk blues legend Huddie Ledbetter, better know as Leadbelly. She touched on love with some songs, got a little sultry with others, took us to church with gospel numbers and then calmed us with the Blues. The evening came to an end too soon for the audience, although she was on stage for about ninety minutes.
She came back the next night and did it all over again to yet another packed house.
As one satisfied fan stated, “How often do you get to see a true legend up this close? One can only hope we get this privilege again.”
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