Odetta - Livin’ with the blues

Odetta is one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. By combining the power and grace of an opera singer with the earthiness of a blues singer and the conviction of a folk singer, Odetta became a commanding, stirring singer unlike any other. Odetta released her first album, Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues, in 1956. This is some two years before the beginning of the folk revival with which she is usually associated. The power of her singing seems to connect her to an earlier folk music,