Uploaded December 2008 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
"They were liberation songs", Odetta described her folk and spirituals. "You're walking down life's road, society's foot is on your throat, every which way you turn you cant get from under that foot. And you reach a fork in the road and you can either lie down and die, or insist upon your life."
She had hoped to sing at obama's inauguration, but on December 2,2008 she passed away at age 77.
I will hear her liberation songs on that day; and I know I will not be alone.
(December 31 1930 - December 2 2008) This Spadecaller Video is a tribute to Odetta, her music, and the many gifts that she contributed to the world during her vibrant lifetime. Odetta, the African-American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and human rights activists passed away on Monday. 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.
"They were liberation songs", Odetta described her folk and spirituals. "You're walking down life's road, society's foot is on your throat, every which way you turn you cant get from under that foot. And you reach a fork in the road and you can either lie down and die, or insist upon your life."
She had hoped to sing at obama's inauguration, but on December 2,2008 she passed away at age 77.
I will hear her liberation songs on that day; and I know I will not be alone.
(December 31 1930 - December 2 2008) This Spadecaller Video is a tribute to Odetta, her music, and the many gifts that she contributed to the world during her vibrant lifetime. Odetta, the African-American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and human rights activists passed away on Monday. 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.
