The Queen of American Folk Music: MLK Called Her That

Odetta, who has died aged 77, was the pre-eminent black folk singer of her generation and an inspiration to Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Martin Luther King.

Who is she?

Odetta Holmes, or Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, and songwriter, often referred to as “The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement”. She was an important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. Her musical style incorporated elements of blues, gospel, and jazz. In 1960, Martin Luther King, Jr. called her “the Queen of American folk music”.

Born in Mississippi in 1886

Parchman Farm in Sunflower County, Mississippi, was the birthplace of Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter in 1888. He learned to play the guitar and harmonica as a child and was performing for tips by the age of 10. In 1903, he was sentenced to 30 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola on murder charges, although some sources say that he killed a man in self-defense. He was eventually pardoned by the governor of Louisiana and released in 1925.

Grew up in Memphis, Tennessee

She was born in 1900 in Memphis, Tennessee, the seventh and final child of sharecroppers. Her parents had both been born into slavery and worked on the same plantation where her mother was a cook and her father was a driver. When she was three, her family moved to Millet, a small town in Mississippi, where she would grow up.

Moved to Chicago in 1907

In 1907, a 20-year-old woman named Emma Goldman moved to Chicago from her native Russia. She soon became involved in the city’s vibrant anarchist movement and began traveling around the country giving lectures on socialism, women’s rights, and other topics. Her fiery rhetoric and controversial ideas made her one of the most famous anarchists in America. In 1917, she was deported back to Russia for her anti-war activism.

Her music

Few artists have been more influential in shaping American music than Odetta. She had a profound impact on the folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s, and her music still resonates today. Though she is often described as a folk singer, her repertoire was vast and included blues, jazz, spirituals, and country. Odetta’s style was unique, and her voice was powerful and expressive. She was a master of storytelling, and her songs were full of passion and conviction.

Her first recordings in the 1920s

In 1925, Lomax and his father traveled to Bristol, Tennessee, to participate in the first recordings of what would become known as country music. These recordings were released by Victor Records and featured such artists as the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. One of these songs, “In the Pines,” was recorded by Phillips in 1927 and would later be recorded by Lead Belly, Odetta, Nirvana, and many others.

In addition to her work with the Lomaxes, Phillips also made several solo recordings for Victor in 1926 and 1927. These included such songs as “The Coo-Coo Bird,” “I Never Will Marry,” and “Jesus on the Water.”

Her influence on later musicians

Interestingly, though Dylan is most often associated with the ’60s folk revival, he actually had a deep respect for Seeger’s older generation of musicians. In a 1964 radio interview, Dylan name-checked Seeger as one of his chief influences and said, “She’s the queen of American folk music.” Indeed, even as Dylan and other young musicians were adding new layers of meaning to traditional songs, Seeger always remained an inspiration and touchstone for them.

Her legacy

A musical queen is somebody with a natural talent and the ability to influence others with their music. The late, great Pete Seeger called her the “Queen of American Folk Music.” And the Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “She is the first lady of the folk music world.” We’re talking about the one and only, the legendary Woody Guthrie.

The Library of Congress’ “American Folklife Center”

The Library of Congress’ “American Folklife Center” is the repository for the documentary heritage of the United States, preserving and promoting traditional cultural expressions and creativity in contemporary life. The Center was established by Congress in 1976 as part of the American Folklife Preservation Act. The law calls for the Center to “…preserve and present American Folklife” through programs of research, documentation, archival preservation, reference service, live performance, exhibition, public programs, and training. The Center incorporates three divisions – fieldwork and research; archives; and presentations – that interact to achieve the objectives set forth in the legislation.

The American Folklife Center was created by Congress in 1976 “to preserve and present American Folklife.” The law (Public Law 94-201) establishing the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center calls for it “…to serve as a national archive of folk culture.” In fulfilling this charge, AFC collects traditional cultural expressions from communities across America and preserve them in archival collections. These collections reflect our country’s many diverse cultures: English-, Spanish-, Polish-, Greek-, Italian-, African-, Arab-, Asian-, Native American-, and Pacific Islander-American to name just a few.

The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

In February 1972, two weeks after her fifty-sixth birthday, Mimi Fariña was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences “in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the growth and development of folk music.” The award was presented to her at a ceremony in New York City, where she lived with her husband, Dick Farina. Bob Dylan, who was also honored that evening with a Grammy for his album John Wesley Harding, introduced Mimi by saying, “I’d like to present this award to one of the most neglected songwriters of our time. A queen of American folk music—that’s what Martin Luther King called her—Mimi Fariña.”