Odetta Holmes dies at 77; folk singer championed black history, civil rights - Los Angeles Times

Odetta Holmes dies at 77; folk singer championed black history, civil rights - Los Angeles Times: Odetta, the classically trained folk, blues and gospel singer who used her powerfully rich and dusky voice to champion African American music and civil rights issues for more than half a century starting in the folk revival of the 1950s, has died. She was 77.