Odetta: A Life in Music and Protest by Ian Zack

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Odetta: A Life in Music and Protest by Ian Zack




         In my case it is always the image of Odetta that comes to mind when I hear her name. The tall, undeniably Black woman, hair in an afro, guitar in hand. It must be that I simply did not know enough about her life, her struggle, and even her music to convey more than that image. But her image is memorable and her presence something not easily described. This book fills in the gaps in the story of Odetta that I didn’t know. Looking back at my childhood, her most memorable songs are the ones I’ve known most of my life, singing in my school’s chapel along with hundreds of other Black students, the words having meaning that I can only truly comprehend decades later as a Black woman.

         Zack takes his time with this biography, letting the readers learn as much about Odetta as we do the time from whence she came. Her migration from Alabama to California, her feelings of coming from a loveless, forced marriage, not being accepted or valued as a young Black girl and having a talent that couldn’t be denied. Her rise to being the Queen of folk music, her journey embracing her Blackness and forcing others to recognize it, using her songs and words to encourage the Civil Rights movement are all described in these pages. It also includes how she eventually would be out shined and mismanaged, struggling to find her place as the decades passed. This story ends with her rising again, but eventually her health failed and the Queen of folk, who had emerged late as a Blues singer, passed before seeing the first Black president take the oath of office.

         I really enjoyed this book. Zack fully imagines Odetta on the page and allows readers to appreciate her, not just her for her music but for the complexities that existed within her as a Black woman emerging in the music industry in a time riddled with political strife. She was filled with rage that she channeled through her beautiful voice and music. Zack details her life, her love, her struggles and her choices to create a well thought out, honest narrative that honors her memory. I highly recommend this biography. 


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