Odetta was one of the defining voices of American folk music. Though she had been trained in classical music, she was drawn to spirituals, work songs, traditional ballads, and blues. These songs told the stories of true life – of struggle and of those who overcame oppression. Odetta used her theater training and deep resonant voice to bring these messages to life. Her work inspired later artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, served as a soundtrack for the social reforms of the 1960s, and led to her honorary title as “The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement” and “The Queen of Folk Music.
Odetta learned from the best (and being gifted in music certainly didn’t hurt!)
Odetta’s first television appearance was on the Today show in 1957. No video of it, but here’s the song:
Third, but arguably the most important, television appearance with Harry Belafonte, 1959
Historic appearance with Tennessee Ernie Ford on his show, 1960
We could do this all day!
Here is an ENTIRE televised concert from 1964, just let it play in the background (we did.)
Odetta talking about her activism during the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War from The Visionary Project:
Shownotes are under construction, please check back a little later for all of our recommendations!
Time Travel With The History Chicks
Books!
By Ian ZackBy Ronald D. Cohn and David BonnerKids’ book by Stephen Alcorn
Her first big screen appearance was a scene in this travelogue:
There are still a few spaces left for both of our Fall ’26 Field Trips to the Loire Valley, and to Italy! For more information and to register, visit Like Minds Travel. We hope to see you there!
Anna Mary Moses spent the last twenty years of her life as a beloved and celebrated artist after a hobby became an occupation in the most astonishing way.
Anna Mary Moses was born when Abraham Lincoln was president and died when John Kennedy was; she lived through one Civil, and two World wars, and was one of the first women in the US to legally vote. Because her life was so full, she didn’t take up painting as her primary hobby until she was in her 70s, and was on a rocketship of world fame as a celebrated artist until she was in her 80s.
Mother Jones lived one of the most dramatic second acts in American history. Though her early life was shaped by poverty, immigration, and repeated personal tragedies, she reinvented herself in middle age as a warrior for justice.
Martha Gellhorn was one of the most influential war correspondents of the 20th century. Over the course of a 60-year career, she reported from nearly every major global conflict – the Spanish Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, and more. In her work, she focused a compassionate eye on the lives of ordinary people caught up in turmoil beyond their control, and this made her coverage uniquely powerful. Her personal bravery, determination, and skill as a writer made her a legend.
