Odetta Sings Ballads & Blues Early Album Collection

Odetta (born Odetta Holmes) was an important and unique element in the great American folk revival in the early 1960s. Unique because her musical influences came almost entirely from Anglo-Saxon folk roots rather than blues and gospel of her African-American heritage. As a performer she was a major influence over Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and more! She also counted Dr Martin Luther King amongst her very important fans. This 2CD set features live performances from Carnegie Hall and Greenwich Village clubs and includes her only UK hit, a duet with Harry Belafonte on a version of "There's A Hole In My Bucket".

Here you have a collection of great music by many of the finest singers ever to inhabit the world of jazz and R&B. Despite the album’s title, not every song aboard is pure blues, but each and every one of the singers assembled here had the ability to turn even the cheesiest of ballads into something that dripped blues whenever they chose to heap up the required, highly personalised, emotion.