Ian Zack

Odetta Ian Zack

The first in-depth biography of the legendary singer and Voice of the Civil Rights Movement A leader of the 1960s folk revival, Odetta is one of the most important singers of the last hundred years. Channeling her anger and despair into some of the most powerful folk music the world has ever heard, Odetta made lasting political, social, and cultural change. But Odetta's importance extends far beyond music. In the first in-depth biography of the legendary singer and "Voice of the Civil Rights Movement," 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. 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.