Odetta (1930-2008)
This was posted in July. She died ysterday but will not be forgotten.
I was able to hear this unforgettable voice in concert in 1965. Together with the Ansley family from Columbus, Georgia, my friend James and I traveled to Tuskeegee, Alabama to hear her sing. I don't know how many people were there but there were no empty seats. We didn't see any other white people there which made the event even more special. As we were driving home someone mentioned how strange it felt to be singing freedom songs along with the crowd and Jeanne Ansley said, "Well I kind of like the idea of freedom myself."
I notice a good many You Tube videos of Odetta have been put up just in the last few weeks. Those who don't know who she is and how deeply important she is to the civil rights movement can start there for inspiration. She is one of the living legends. No one who heard her when we did could ever forget.
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