Death Summary: In November 2008, Odetta’s health began a freefall. She was receiving treatment at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. She died less than a month later on December 2, 2008 from heart disease in New York City.

She was scheduled to perform at Barack Obama’s inauguration on January 20, 2009.

Who was Odetta : She was an African-American songwriter, guitarist, actress, singer, and most notable a civil rights activist. She is often referred to as “The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement”.

Her style of music was mainly American folk music, jazz, blues and spiritual songs. It’s been noted that her style influenced Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan.

Dylan was even quoted as saying; “The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta. I heard a record of hers (Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues) in a record store, back when you could listen to records right there in the store. Right then and there, I went out and traded my electric guitar and amplifier for an acoustical guitar, a flat-top Gibson. ... (That album was) just something vital and personal. I learned all the songs on that record. It was her first and the songs were- 'Mule Skinner', 'Waterboy', 'Jack of Diamonds', ''Buked and Scorned."

Categories: Actors, Entertainment, Historical, Music.