caption website associated_acts death_date death_place years_active alias birth_place label name background birth_date instrument genre image article_title birth_name occupation
odetta -lrb- 1961 -rrb- -lsb- http://www.mc-records.com/html/odetta_landing.html m.c. records -rsb- lead , bessie smith , bob dylan , joan baez , belly bonnie raitt , harry belafonte , janis joplin , the staple singers 02 december 2008 new york city , united states 1944 -- 2008 odetta odetta gordon felious -lrb- her stepfather 's surname -rrb- , birmingham , alabama , united states fantasy m.c. records , silverwolf , original blues classics , tradition , vanguard , rca victor , odetta solo_singer 31 december 1930 vocals , acoustic guitar , keyboard folk jazz blues , blues , spirituals , country blues , odetta -lrb- 1961 -rrb- . jpg odetta
 odetta holmes singer , musician
odetta

odetta holmes -lrb- december 31 , 1930 -- december 2 , 2008 -rrb- , known as odetta , was an american singer , actress , guitarist , songwriter , and a civil and human rights activist , often 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 was influential to many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time , including bob dylan , joan baez , mavis staples , and janis joplin .
`` time '' included her song `` take this hammer '' on its list of the all-time 100 songs , stating that `` rosa parks was her no. 1 fan , and martin luther king jr. called her the queen of american folk music . ''
