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Odetta

1930–2008

United States

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Biography

Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known mononymously as Odetta, was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement", her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals. An important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, she influenced many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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