Moments with Odetta: Inspirational Singer, Beautiful Woman

You may have never heard of her until now, but Odetta was one of the best known voices of the 1950s and 60s. She sang a mix of folk, blues and gospel in a soaring, classically trained voice -- nuanced, deep and expressive. And she made a difference:

--- Rosa Parks, who started the boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, when asked which songs meant the most to her replied, "All of the songs Odetta sings."

--- The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to Odetta as "The Queen of American Folk Music."

--- Bob Dylan said in a 1978 interview, "The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta."

--- When she appeared at a Carnegie Hall tribute to Bruce Springsteen in 2007 and turned his "57 Channels," into a chanted poem, he called it "the greatest version" he had ever heard.

Odetta sang at the 1963 March on Washington, where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, and it was reported that she wanted to sing at Obama's inauguration. But she didn't quite make it; she died on Tuesday, at age 77.

Like the great South African singer Miriam Makeba,who died a few weeks ago, Odetta was a woman who inspired as well as entertained. (Listen for yourself at spiralfrog.com.)

When the Beatles came along, and after Dr. King was assassinated, Vietnam became the country's focus, and the civil rights-folk scene died out. Rock, disco, reggae -- onward and forward we moved along -- faster, louder, electrified, less idealistic, more narcissistic.

I didn't hear anything much about Odetta for years. She seemed to have become a bird caught in the honeyed amber of an earlier age. But through the years she did continue recording albums, and singing at music festivals around the world. And she still entranced the crowds who often came to hear others.

A couple of years ago I took a magical journey in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southern Virginia along a scenic byway called The Crooked Road. This is the center of Bluegrass music. I visited the Carter family compound where Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash used to live. I watched luthiers, skilled instrument makers who make guitars for clients such as Eric Clapton. I attended toe-tapping live radio shows featuring close-harmony quartets and exhuberant banjo groups.

The highlight of my trip was a concert in Bristol, considered the cradle of country music. And among the performers was Odetta. She was slimmer now, and remained seated when she sang. But she was more beautiful than ever, in her caftan and head wrap. Her comments between songs were insightful, and her warm personality, her phrasing and her sensibility were complex and shaded. Her wise interpretations of songs brought tears to my eyes, both for the past and the present.

The next day, I was sitting in a shuttle van waiting to go to the airport, and Odetta and her young manager entered the van. He was young and considerate. She was exquisite. I wanted to tell her how much her music was a part of my youth, but I didn't want to disturb her.

She immediately started asking me questions. Was I at the concert? Do I like bluegrass? Where was I from?

By the time we got to the airport we had already discussed single life. Odetta had three marriages and many relationships, and had been peacefully single for many years. "Men are like peas," she winked. "I've had enough peas."

She based herself in New York, but loved traveling and meeting people around the world. We exchanged emails. I wanted to interview her further for my Website, as a terrific role model for single women. But life got in the way. I got sick not long after that and spent a year recuperating. I thought of meeting with her a couple of times since, but knew we both traveled extensively, and I never followed-up. I just kept putting it off.

When I heard of her passing I thought of her gorgeous smile and found a photo of us connecting woman to woman. I was privileged to have heard Odetta's legendary voice on stage after so many years. And even more, I am grateful for experiencing her inner beauty, which I will never forget.

Odetta Holmes, Dec. 31, 1930-Dec 2, 2008

Comments

[danbes]

Only a few of the memorials honoring Odetta record that she actually got her start at my uncle Harry's Turnabout Theater in Hollywood, during the late 1940s. Odetta's mom was the cleaning woman at the theater, and Odetta, who came in on weekends to help her mother with the dusting, could instead often be found listening to Harry's opera records. And singing along with them. When Harry discovered this, he, recognizing her talent, paid for her singing lessons.

In my 1992 video, TURNABOUT, THE STORY OF THE YALE PUPPETEERS, Odetta says that it was her experience at Turnabout Theater that turned her life around; and she attributes her later success to the start that Harry and the Turnabout Theater offered her. Another thing she mentioned to me is that she was one of the first to have her hair done in the "Afro" style, and that originally the cut was called an "Odetta" !

Odetta was also a roommate of my first wife, Rose, and when Rose and I married she came to our wedding reception in my mother's small Santa Monica apartment, where she sang songs for more than an hour. (Interestingly, since I didn't see my uncle Harry very often during those years, it wasn't until much later that I discovered she'd been working at Turnabout Theater.)

Though I saw her infrequently over the years, Odetta was a good friend. She and her immense talent will be sorely missed.

Dan Bessie / [e-mail]

[Robert J. Elisberg - Huffpost Blogger]

There are a handful of performers I remain eternally grateful to have heard live. Near the top of that list is Odetta, who I heard at Northwestern University a few years back. It was small environ, their coffee house, "Amazing Grace," which made the power of her voice and personality all the grander. I'd followed news about her over the following years, as best I could, and was always pleased to know she was still performing, and so well. She was on "A Prairie Home Companion" a few times, and always (of course) wonderful. Thanks for your lovely tribute to this important performer, and person...