Give A Damn

Very sad news this morning: legendary folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta has passed away at the age of 77. I just became aware of and inspired by Odetta and her music over the past couple of years. Some friends and I were lucky enough to get the chance to see her perform two summers ago when she stepped in to replace an ill performer at the Prospect Park bandshell's summer series. She was captivating. And energizing. She had been ill herself, but perched there on a stool at the edge of the stage like a graceful bird, swaying and clapping to her songs about everything from human rights to riding the Rock Island Nine, she exuded energy. And just a kind of contagious excitement about being here, together, making music.

At 76, Odetta was still speaking out for the rights of oppressed people. She was generous with her experiences at her concert, speaking and singing about reproductive rights and honoring the history of her music with covers of Lead Belly and other blues pioneers. She got everybody singing, just like a good folk legend. When the audience was a little shy about their participation, she stopped singing and remarked in her deep unmistakable voice: "You cannot almost sing," to a burst of laughter, followed by a much stronger chorus.

So here's to a life devoted to making joyful and critical music, years of work for the liberation of the oppressed, and the kind of generosity that makes you "give a damn about your fellow man" as Odetta sang it.