Folk Music Legend, Odetta, Dies at 77

American folk music legend, Odetta, passed away on Tuesday afternoon. She was 77 years old, and leaves behind her son and daughter. Odetta is best known for her music during the civil rights movement. She'd often called on her fellow blacks to "take pride in the history of the American Negro." Odetta's work is credited as having a great influence on music icons such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and Harry Belafonte. Bob Dylan often proclaims Odetta is the reason he turned towards folk music. Odetta remained active up until she passed away. She was scheduled to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony in January of 2009.

Tags: Odetta, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Harry Belafonte, Civil Rights Movement, folk, music, American