Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), 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."