Odetta: Singer-Songwriter in New York

About Odetta

Odetta Holmes, known professionally as Odetta, was an American vocalist whose work drew on folk traditions, blues, jazz, and spirituals, and who became closely identified with the Civil Rights era. Her singing centered on narrative and text, often pared down to voice-forward arrangements that kept the words in focus. In New York City she is represented on programs at National Sawdust, alongside bills that have included artists such as Lola Kirke and Bruce Brubaker. Her performances favor clarity over spectacle.