Biography

ODETTA, the "Queen of American Folk Music" (anointed by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1964) and "Mother Goddess of Folk/Blues" (by New York Times in 1999) is one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century, with countless artists indebted to her pioneering ways. Before Odetta, no solo woman performer (let alone an African American woman!) singing blues, folk, work and protest songs had recorded or toured. And, she sang for the masses at the 1963 March on Washington; she took part in the march on Selma; she performed for President Kennedy and his cabinet on the nationally televised civil rights special "Dinner with the President"; and along with Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson, she was in the first group of artists to be honored with the Duke Ellington Fellowship Award. In 1994, she was appointed an `Elder' to the International Women's Conference in Beijing; and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Arts in 1999 by the President and Mrs. Clinton. Her 1956 album, “ODETTA Sings Ballads & Blues,” was the soul and inspiration for a young Janis Joplin to become a singer, while inspiring Bob Dylan to trade in his electric guitar and amp for a Gibson acoustic guitar and become a folk singer. She’s also acted in films and theater; sung with symphony orchestras and in operas; hosted the Montreux Jazz Festival and starred in countless TV Specials.


Since 1999 Odetta has recorded exclusively for M.C. Records. Her 1999 album, "BLUES EVERYWHERE I GO," was nominated for a Grammy. Her following album, ‘LOOKIN’ FOR A HOME” was nominated for two 2002 W.C. Handy Awards, and in 2004, she was nominated for another W.C. Handy Award, as Best Traditional Female Blues Artist of the Year. In 2006, her Holiday Spiritual release, "GONNA LET IT SHINE" was nominated for a Grammy Award.