Known by just her first name, folk singer Odetta used her strong voice not only as an influential vocalist but also as a campaigner for social justice and civil rights. As a leader of the folk revival of the 1950s, she performed widely in concert, made hit records and had a great influence on other artists including Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Her full-throated devotion to the traditions of folk songs and the messages they carried played a significant role in the American civil rights movement in the '60s and when President Bill Clinton presented her with a National Medal of the Arts in 1999, he said that Odetta proved "songs have the power to change the heart and change the world".
Born in Alabama, Odetta grew up in Los Angeles where she studied music and in 1944 joined the Hollywood Turnabout Puppet Theatre. On a national tour of the musical 'Finian's Rainbow', she discovered folk songs and in the mid-'50s she made regular appearances at clubs in San Francisco and New York. Her solo recording career began with 'Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues' in 1956 and 'At the Gate of the Horn' the following year. She performed on a television special with Harry Belafonte in 1959 and in 1961 the two released a single 'There's a Hole in My Bucket', which became an international hit. In 1963, her album 'Odetta Sings Folk Songs' established her as a major star and that year she leant her star power to the March on Washington civil rights demonstration during which she sang 'O Freedom'. Her song 'Take This Hammer' had a profound effect and she became known internationally as an influential leader in human rights.
Odetta branched out to include jazz, blues and gospel in future recordings but stayed away from the studio for most of the '80s and '90s except for the albums 'Movin' It On' in 1987 and 'Christmas Spirituals' in '88. The death of her friend Ella Fitzgerald prompted Odetta to release a live concert performance, 'To Ella', in '98 and subsequent albums included 'Blues Everywhere I Go' and 'Looking for a Home'.
In the first decade of the 21st century, Odetta attended many events held in tribute to her lifetime achievements and she received many honours from festivals and music associations. She toured America in support of her 2007 album 'Gonna Let It Shine' and even as her health began to deteriorate, over two years she made 60 concert performances in a wheelchair with final shows in San Francisco and Toronto in 2008. She died in December that year of heart disease aged 77.