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Creator
Odetta, 1930-2008
Call number
Sc MG 317
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Odetta papers, Sc MG 317, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Some collections held by the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. To request access to materials in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, please visit: http://archives.nypl.org/scm/request_access Request access to this collection.

The Odetta Papers document her career as a folk singer and entertainer. The collection includes contracts, sheet music, correspondence, press materials, programs, flyers, posters, itineraries, travel documents, financial records, record company and management records, and clippings.There are two series, Personal papers and Professional papers, the latter constituting the larger of the two. The Personal papers series, ca. 1956-1991 (2.4 lin. ft.), includes six subseries, Biographical information; Calendars and journals; Writing; Interviews; Awards; and Correspondence. The Professional papers, ca. 1956-1990s (9.4 lin. ft.), are divided into five subseries: Music; Record companies, Performances; Financial records; and Memorabilia. The Performances subseries is further delineated into five sub-subseries: Contracts; Programs; Reviews; Other works; and Correspondence.

Biographical/historical information

Folk singer Odetta (née Odetta Holmes, aka Odetta Felious) is one of the best-known African-American folk singers in the United States. Born in Alabama and raised in Los Angeles, Odetta was trained for a classical and operatic career at Los Angeles City College when a visit to a San Francisco coffee house featuring folk music awakened an interest in the young singer. Following a long engagement at the Tin Angel in San Francisco, she was booked at The Blue Angel in New York City where she was embraced by the Greenwich Village folk community. Shortly thereafter she appeared with Harry Belafonte at Carnegie Hall and with Pete Seeger at Town Hall.

Odetta is credited as being an important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, and was a formative influence on artists such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Janis Joplin. She has recorded over thirty albums, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Arts in 1999, and was nominated for a Grammy award for her album, "Gonna Let It Shine" in 2007.

Scope and arrangement

The Odetta papers are arranged in two series:

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift, Odetta, 1998

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor

Access to materials

Some collections held by the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. To request access to materials in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, please visit: http://archives.nypl.org/scm/request_access Request access to this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests subject to limitations noted in divisional policies on reproduction