RIP Odetta

[gabby garcia]

Source: NY Times

Odetta, the singer whose deep voice wove together the strongest songs of American folk music and the civil rights movement, died Tuesday. She was 77.

The cause was heart disease, said her manager, Doug Yeager.

He added that she had been hoping to sing at Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/arts/music/03odetta.html

---

tears.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. May she rest in peace. My condolences to her family.

:(

[xchrom]

2. may Peace be with her and her family at this time. nt

[Stardust]

3. Dayum. :>(

:cry: I love her.

[pinto]

4. Wow. Sing on, Odetta, sing on.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Sad news. She was a great lady.

[Drunken Irishman]

6. I don't know who she is, but sad.

[Hekate]

28. Click on the links in this thread. Odetta is one of the GREAT female voices of the folk revival

She had a deep, deep African-American woman's voice. Goddess, she was a marvel to listen to.

What a loss to those of us who cherish so many branches of the 50s-60s folk singing revival. It's wonderful that she'll live forever in recordings.

Go here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jGSiaDj_fw
There are quite a few of her recordings you can click on from there.

Hekate

[Drunken Irishman]

31. I listened to her version of the House of the Rising Son. Very nice.

[Mabus]

7. RIP Odetta

This one really hurts. Losing her is a real loss for all of us.

[pinto]

8. Odetta's "House of the Rising Sun" -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaya8jYZBO8

[Jack Rabbit]

9. ( )

Please click on the candle . . .


[font size="1">Photo: Pebbelz.com

[Book Lover]

47. Thank you - that was beautiful!

I have had her on on Youtube and Pandora all day: just made myself an Odetta pandora station.

[Bozita]

10. Don't miss the video at the NYT link in the OP.

Good stuff!

[elleng]

24. Its a GREAT interview!

Her story, American history, and music.

[Duppers]

27. excellent

thanks for pointing it out.

[peacetalksforall]

11. Also, catch "Blowin in the Wind" with Liam Clancy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaCqhnELvFs&feature=related

[Liberty Belle]

12. So sorry! I heard her sing in San Diego at the MLK breakfast last year;

she was an inspiration to so many and she will be missed.

[jaysunb]

13. RIP

A lovely lady and great performer. She'll be missed...

[tblue]

14. I saw her in person once many years ago. Her voice sounds like that of God Himself.

Rest in sweet peace, dear Angel, whose voice stirs the soul.

[Sunnyshine]

15. I am crying big tears right now. This woman was a lovely human being. So, so, sad she is gone.

We love you Odetta and thank you for filling our world with beauty and song.

We will sing for you on January 20, 2009. Your voice is within us all.

Never to be forgotten. :patriot:

:cry:

[struggle4progress]

16. Bourgeois Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCC6_3QwXOc&feature=related

[struggle4progress]

17. Keep On Moving It On

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYzQZbdSHUc

[FloridaJudy]

18. Safe passage, Odetta

She'll be missed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21pxixV6kB0

[Bluebear]

19. Careless Love . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOGXiYruaug

thank you for the music Odetta

[Bluebear]

20. Maya Angelou: "If only one could be sure that every 50 years a voice and a soul like Odetta's...

would come along, the centuries would pass so quickly and painlessly we would hardly recognize time."

[elleng]

21. Another thread, with links:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x246784

[FrenchieCat]

22. The good die too young......

[liberaltrucker]

23. President Obama will do you proud

Rejoice January 20, 2009 from Heaven, as we will in Washington, DC.

Rest in Peace, you've earned it. :patriot:

[SeattleGirl]

25. How sad.

She was a beautiful singer.

RIP, Odetta.

[Duppers]

26. She was an icon in the folk music world

and 77 is too young to leave. It would have been so nice to hear her sing at Obama's inauguration.

From her Wiki entry:
Odetta (December 31, 1930 - December 2, 2008) was an African-American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement." Her musical repertoire consists largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals. An important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s, she was a formative influence on dozens of artists, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Janis Joplin.

[eggplant]

29. That sucks.

I got to meet Odetta back in 1982, when she played a concert at Simon's Rock College. The cool thing was that I got to meet her and talk to her briefly. The *really* cool thing was that she remembered hanging out with my dad years earlier in San Francisco.

RIP.

[Ken Burch]

30. Oh damn. Another hero is gone.

[whoopingcrone]

32. rip odetta

with love and thanks.

[OneBlueSky]

33. farewell to an amazing woman with an amazing voice . . .

I remember attending a performance of Odetta singing Bessie Smith songs some years ago, and she absolutely inhabited Bessie Smith . . . she will be missed, but her music will live on forever . . .

do yourself a favor and watch the video on the New York Times page that's linked in the original post . . . if you don't know Odetta, it's a great introduction . . . and if you do know her, it's a great farewell . . .

Rest in Peace, Odetta . . .

[harpboy_ak]

34. Her best interview

Her best interview ever was when the late Studs Terkel interviewed her. It was a rich hour of musical history. I hope that those two are sharing a good shot of heavenly whiskey now!

[rasputin1952]

35. She was almost a regular on Prarie Home Companion for

years...how very sad...a beautiful voice silenced...:(


Rip Odetta...you left us with a w/a treasure...your recorded voice, something we can treasure...

[mr1956]

36. What a powerful voice

Odetta emanated emotion and American history through song. A true griot. May she rest in peace but may her voice inspire new generations.

[ellie]

37. RIP Odetta

[Beaverhausen]

38. I had the pleasure of hearing her perform in October

She was in a wheelchair and was very frail but her spirit and voice were strong.

I'm so sad she didn't make it for the inaguration but glad she lived long enough to see Obama elected President.

RIP Odetta and thank you.

[Lautremont]

39. Odetta, Voice of Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 77

Source: New York Times

Odetta, the singer whose deep voice wove together the strongest songs of American folk music and the civil rights movement, died on Tuesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. She was 77.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/arts/music/03odetta.html?hp

---

Amazing voice, amazing performer. But now her rendition of "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down" has a slightly eerie edge...

RIP, Odetta.

[skeewee08]

40. RIP Odetta

such a beautiful woman and beautiful voice!

[Loudus]

41. choked up.

I remember listening to her LPs back in the day. She will be sorely missed.

[nolabear]

42. My First Christmas CD

Actually it was a tape; it was long befoer CD's were invented. It was the beginning of a long tradition, trying to find a wide range of music for the holidays, and I'd still recommend it highly. It's powerful, strong and beautiful.

Odetta's "House of the Rising Sun" will break your heart. But so many of her performances just transcend. I'll miss her terribly, but am soooo grateful that she gave us a body of work that will continue to inspire and give voice to the depths and heights of what it means to be human.

Rest, dear soul. We'll carry on.

[classof56]

43. You have expressed my thoughts about Odetta beautifully.

How wonderful that she will live on through her music and her words.

Blessings, and welcome to DU!

[frylock]

45. there was a real nice piece about her on NPR this morning..

be sure to check it out.

[MaineDem]

50. Thank you for posting the correct subject line. n/t

[foxfeet]

44. Farewell, Odetta, and thanks for the music.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

46. Rest in Peace, Odetta...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_yAHc2Xhz4

I'm so glad you lived to see Obama elected. I wish you could have sung for the inauguration. :cry::loveya:

[BeHereNow]

48. I had the pleasure of sharing a stage with her...

1993.
She was an oak tree.
Strong, beautiful and full of wisdom.
R.I.P. Odetta.

BHN

[bagimin]

49. I saw Odetta and Fred Neil

at The Gaslight South many times. She was outrageous.

[MaineDem]

51. She was one of my early musical inspirations

I will miss her.

And it's so sad to think that she will miss Obama's inauguration.