{"product_id":"odetta-isbn-9780807035320","title":"Odetta","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn \u003ci\u003eAudioFile\u003c\/i\u003e Best Audiobook of 2020\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first in-depth biography of the legendary singer and “Voice of the Civil Rights Movement,” who combatted racism and prejudice through her music.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOdetta channeled her anger and despair into some of the most powerful folk music the world has ever heard. Through her lyrics and iconic persona, Odetta made lasting political, social, and cultural change.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA leader of the 1960s folk revival, Odetta is one of the most important singers of the last hundred years. Her music has influenced a huge number of artists over many decades, including Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Kinks, Jewel, and, more recently, Rhiannon Giddens and Miley Cyrus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Odetta’s importance extends far beyond music. Journalist Ian Zack follows Odetta from her beginnings in deeply segregated Birmingham, Alabama, to stardom in San Francisco and New York. Odetta used her fame to bring attention to the civil rights movement, working alongside Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, and other artists. Her opera-trained voice echoed at the 1963 March on Washington and the Selma to Montgomery march, and she arranged a tour throughout the deeply segregated South. Her “Freedom Trilogy” songs became rallying cries for protesters everywhere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Through interviews with Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, and many others, Zack brings Odetta back into the spotlight, reminding the world of the folk music that powered the civil rights movement and continues to influence generations of musicians today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eListen to the author’s top five Odetta hits while you read:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Spiritual Trilogy (Oh Freedom\/Come and Go with Me\/I’m On My Way) \u003cbr\u003e2. I’ve Been Driving on Bald Mountain\/Water Boy \u003cbr\u003e3. Take This Hammer \u003cbr\u003e4. The Gallows Pole \u003cbr\u003e5. Muleskinner Blues\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAccess the playlist here: https:\/\/spoti.fi\/3c2HnF4\u003ci\u003eAuthor’s Note\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePROLOGUE\u003cbr\u003eA Voice Like Thunder\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER ONE\u003cbr\u003eFrom Birmingham to Los Angeles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER TWO\u003cbr\u003eStraightened My Back, Kinked My Hair\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER THREE\u003cbr\u003eThe Toast of New York\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER FOUR\u003cbr\u003eGetting Political\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER FIVE\u003cbr\u003eThe Fuse Is Lit\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER SIX\u003cbr\u003eTV Sensation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER SEVEN\u003cbr\u003eThat Lovely Odetta . . . Playing a Murderess\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER EIGHT\u003cbr\u003eEnter Bob Dylan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER NINE\u003cbr\u003eIn the Heart of Jim Crow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER TEN\u003cbr\u003eMarch Music\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER ELEVEN\u003cbr\u003eThe Times They Are A-Changin’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER TWELVE\u003cbr\u003eFreedom Gets Personal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER THIRTEEN\u003cbr\u003eHit or Miss\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER FOURTEEN\u003cbr\u003eBlues Everywhere I Go\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEPILOGUE\u003cbr\u003e“Who Will Be the Odetta of Now?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eSelected Discography\u003cbr\u003eSelected Bibliography\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eImage Credits\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e“A thoughtful portrait of an artist who never quite became as famous as she deserved to be . . . A much needed biography of a crucial American artist and activist.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Fascinating . . . . Odetta fans will delight in this timely biography.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Those unaware of her work will be compelled to learn more. An illuminating, stirring biography of the extraordinary ‘Queen of American Folk.’”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal,\u003c\/i\u003e Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Zack . . . is convincing in his argument that Odetta Holmes has been underappreciated for too long . . . . An effective biography that demonstrates Odetta’s wide, deep legacy.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A solid work of reportage and writing . . . there are many excellent details in Zack’s biography.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Odetta’s charisma is a touchstone in Mr. Zack’s engaging, revelatory chronicle . . . . Mr. Zack offers a much-needed corrective, restoring Odetta’s place as a performer who breathed new life into traditional American song. She regarded music and social protest as intertwined. By merging the two, she channeled her own pent-up rage at prejudice and injustice into a universal message of hard-won hope and reconciliation.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Both Zack and Belafonte had it right: Odetta’s effect on folk music and Black culture is immeasurable and deserves much attention.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eChicago Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Odetta’s life story takes on huge significance and scale in Zack’s book, as he explains how the winds of American history buffeted her talent like a tree flexing in the wind. Biographies can help us to conceptualize the slippery phenomenon we call being alive, especially as it relates to the passing of time. Is life made out of instants, like lightning flashing on a face in a storm, or is it some mystical force which flows across time, bigger than any one person? \u003ci\u003eOdetta\u003c\/i\u003e brims with the life of its forgotten subject, showing us that we have a lot of cultural history to re-learn, and many losses yet to mourn.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe New Republic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“There is a celebration of Odetta’s life and legacy to be enjoyed, recalled—or discovered—in her 25 albums and this wonderful biography.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Classical Voice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An inherently fascinating and thought-provoking biography.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eMidwest Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ian Zack has captured her essence in an authoritative biography of the singer, guitarist, lyricist, actor, civil-rights activist, and cultural icon.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eAcoustic Guitar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ian Zack’s inspiring biography [reminds] readers of her place in the pantheon.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eMOJO Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Odetta deserved better during her lifetime, but this biography moves toward properly cementing her legacy.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eDownbeat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This book is so interesting and well written that it might make many readers feel nostalgic for the good old days they never grew up in . . . . To have a better understanding of our nation’s rich cultural and musical heritage, of what came before the present and why the Times They are a Changin’ is the benefit of reading a good book like this.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Mercury (Kansas)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An absorbing portrait of a seminal artist. Odetta was my Queen.”\u003cbr\u003e—Joan Baez, musician and activist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Deeply respectful but not naïvely uncritical, this is a well-researched and beautifully read portrait of an artist whose life deserves to be more widely known.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eAudioFile Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ian Zack has captured the essence of one of music’s most legendary icons. \u003ci\u003eOdetta\u003c\/i\u003e is a definitive and revelatory biography, truly worthy of the queen herself.”\u003cbr\u003e—Ronald D. Cohen, coauthor of \u003ci\u003eRoots of the Revival\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFolk City\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Ian Zack’s \u003ci\u003eSay No to the Devil: The Life and Musical Genius of Rev. Gary Davis\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] magisterial biography . . . Half saint, half sinner, all singer-songwriter . . . the Rev. Gary Davis is that blind man you brushed by on your way to the stadium to see the big act perform. Zack’s brilliant account compels us to pause for a long look at an artist who was always there, even if we didn’t see him.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Long time comin’ and here at last! This fabulous book is for those who want to read, hear, and troll the depths of Americana music for incredible artists. Once you come across Rev. Gary Davis, you are forever hooked by his creative brilliance. From his earliest recordings to his last, Zack illuminates what made ‘the Rev’ so unique. Enjoy yourself! It’s a good un’!”\u003cbr\u003e—Taj Mahal\u003cb\u003eIan Zack\u003c\/b\u003e has been a writer and editor for two decades. His writing has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eForbes\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAcoustic Guitar\u003c\/i\u003e. Zack’s award-winning first book, \u003ci\u003eSay No to the Devil: The Life \u0026amp; Musical Genius of Rev. Gary Davis\u003c\/i\u003e, was called “magisterial” by the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305305919717,"sku":"NP9780807035320","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780807035320.jpg?v=1767734007","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/odetta-isbn-9780807035320","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}