Odetta passed away today. She was, as many of you know, one of the truly unique voices in the '60s activist folk scene and influenced just about everybody. Her deep voice, percussive and disruptive style set her apart and I still get goosebumps when I listen to her renditions of spirituals like "'Buked and Scorned", "Joshua" and "God's Gonna Cut You Down". She was also a soulful interpreter of contemporary songs, and below I've embedded a video of her version of "House of the Riding Sun" from 2005, and a beautiful but short close-up clip from the Newport Festival way back when.

And here's just a search result from NPR on some of the specials and interviews they've done with her.

Odetta, Still a Powerful Voice for Justice

May she rest in peace.