Odetta

Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals. An important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, she influenced many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin. In 2011 Time magazine included her recording of "Take This Hammer" on its list of the 100 Greatest Popular Songs, stating that "Rosa Parks was her No. 1 fan, and Martin Luther King Jr. called her the queen of American folk music."

31 December 1930

Born on the same birth date (31 December 1930): Jaime Escalante

Born on the same birth day (31 December): Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan • Arima Yoriyuki • Carsten Schlangen • Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis • Cliff Richey • Corey Crawford • Gabby Douglas • Gerardo Lugo (footballer, born 1984) • Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1585–1635) • Halina Czerny-Stefańska • Isma'il Pasha of Egypt • Jason Campbell • Lyudmila Pakhomova • Matt Cross (wrestler) • Michael McDonald (comedian) • Muhammad ibn al-Qasim • Phill Kline • Pius Ncube • Rami Alanko • Rex Allen • Ross Barbour (singer) • Tess Jaray

Born in the same month (December 1930): Armenak Alachachian • Christopher Nicole • David Piper (racing driver) • David R. Harris (geographer) • Donald Moffat • Elmira Minita Gordon • Jaime Escalante • Knut Helle • Margaret Bakkes • Michael Jopling • Raul M. Gonzalez • Tu Youyou • Wayne D. Anderson • Wilfrid Sheed