Odetta

Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, 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."

Similar Artists

Dr. John

Etta James

Booker T. & the M.G.'s

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Nick Waterhouse

Ruth Brown

Big Maybelle

Ray Charles

Ike & Tina Turner

Chuck Berry

Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Dusty Springfield

Nina Simone

Van Morrison

Janis Joplin

Nancy Sinatra

Solomon Burke

Bo Diddley

Bob Dylan

Sam Cooke

Bonnie Raitt

The James Hunter Six