Odetta

About

Folk and blues singer whose song "Take This Hammer" was included in Time's All-Time 100 Songs list.

Before Fame

She started being trained to be an opera singer when she was thirteen, later going on to join the Hollywood Turnabout Puppet Theatre.

Trivia

She is considered the voice of the Civil Rights Movement due to her dedication to the rights of African Americans.

Family Life

Her first husband was Gary Shead, but she remarried Don Gordon in 1959, and then Louisiana Red in 1977.

Associated With

Odetta's memorial service was flush with tributes, including one from Maya Angelou.