Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

In a world where the word unique is misused and overused, Odetta was  
unique. She seemed to deeply feel her music and when I watched and  
listened to her I was entranced. I especially enjoyed her singing a  
cappella.

Odetta arrived in San Francisco a few years before I got there. I  
became friends in college with a guy who played classical guitar and  
he introduced me to folk song. We took our girlfriends to the Hungry  
i, the legendary City club that showcased an unending stream of  
performers of note, from The Kingston Trio to and including the  
introduction of Barbra Streisand, and it was there in that little  
basement room that I felt the power of Odetta's voice and presence.

I still hear her voice when I occasionally sing "There's a hole in the  
bucket . . . ," a circular song  that illustrates how we pathetic men  
need women for direction.

Odetta has died, but thanks to technology her music will last long  
after we who remember her have also died.