Back in October, I posted "House of the Rising Sun" by Odetta. I encourage you to revisit that one. Simply amazing. She had such a powerful voice, filled with lifetimes of emotion.
I learned last night that she died Tuesday in Manhattan, New York of heart disease at the age of 77.
New York Times obituary for Odetta
Originally a prison work song, The Water Boy was given a jazz arrangement by Avery Robinson in the 1920's. That version was recorded and popularized by Roland Hays in 1922. Beginning in the late 1940s, it was re-embraced by the folk and blues artists, including Odetta, Fats Waller, John Lee Hooker, Harry Belafonte and The Kingston Trio.
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