Wednesday, December 3, 2008

R.I.P. odetta



2008 has been wonderful in many ways, but I wish I could stop these R.I.P. posts. Today, the beautiful and perfect Odetta went to the clouds above. She was only 77. Odetta is just about the most amazing woman ever. I would appreciate and want to be her in my next life.

Odetta had a major impact on folk music and its singers, especially Bob Dylan. She was a key figure in the civil rights movement. She was also a huge guitar badass! Odetta was trained in opera, but starting recording and dabbling in folk music before also brancing out into spiritual music and the blues. This girl can do it all. Look, Martin Luther King said she was the "Queen of American Folk Music." Are we dead serious? If MLK says it, I will believe it and g.d. it I do!

Enjoy this clip of Odetta peforming many moons ago at the Newport Folk Festival. The look on the guy's face in the audience says it all. WOW. I wish this clip was longer. I encourage you to explore more about Odetta. One of the saddest things about all this to me is that she was supposedly going to perform at Obama's inaugaration. At least she was around to see the Big O become the president-elect. Goodnight, Odetta.

1 comment:

Daddy-O said...

I had not heard. That is too bad. RIP O.