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Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues

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Length
  
45:14 (reissue)

Release date
  
1956

Label
  
Tradition Records

Artist
  
Odetta

Producer
  
Dean Gitter

Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumbb

Released
  
1956 (original), February 6, 1996, February 1, 2005 (re-releases)

Recorded
  
San Francisco, California, September 1956

Sings Ballads and Blues (1956)
  
At the Gate of Horn (1957)

Genres
  
Blues, Folk music, Calypso music, Vocal music

Similar
  
Odetta albums, Blues albums

Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues is the debut solo album by American folk singer Odetta, first released in 1956.

Contents

Like much of Odetta's early work, Ballads and Blues combines traditional songs (e.g. spirituals) with blues covers. Some songs on this album were also recorded for Odetta & Larry's 1954 album The Tin Angel.

The initial vinyl release has tracks 1-8 as side A, then tracks 9-16 as side B (the "Spiritual Trilogy" being counted as one track, a medley). The "enhanced" CD version of this album, released in 2005, contains four bonus tracks and has a slightly different cover with a different photo of the singer. Some tracks are included on the Collectables re-release The Best of Odetta.

Bob Dylan singled this album out as one of his favorites by Odetta; indeed, it was albums like this that inspired him to play folk music instead of rock 'n' roll.

Track listing

  1. "Santy Anno" (Traditional) – 1:55
  2. "If I Had a Ribbon Bow" (Huey Prince, Lou Singer) – 2:42
  3. "Muleskinner Blues" (Jimmie Rodgers) – 2:51
  4. "Another Man Done Gone" (Traditional) – 2:11
  5. "Shame and Scandal" (Traditional) – 2:23
  6. "Jack o' Diamonds" (Traditional) – 3:15
  7. "'Buked and Scorned" (Traditional) – 2:40
  8. "Easy Rider" (Traditional) – 5:06
  9. "Joshua" (Traditional) – 1:53
  10. "Hound Dog" (Traditional) – 3:50
  11. "Glory, Glory" (Traditional) – 2:12
  12. "Alabama Bound" (Huddie Ledbetter) – 1:42
  13. "Been in the Pen" (Traditional) – 2:32
  14. "Deep Blue Sea" (Traditional) – 3:00
  15. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (Traditional) – 1:51
  16. Spiritual Trilogy: "Oh, Freedom", "Come and Go With Me", "I'm on My Way" (Traditional) – 6:06

2005 CD bonus tracks

  1. "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" (Traditional)' – 1:53
  2. "Take This Hammer" (Ledbetter) – 3:27
  3. "Deep River" (Traditional) – 3:00
  4. "Chilly Winds" (Traditional) – 2:41

Personnel

  • Odetta Holmes – vocals, acoustic guitar, hand claps

    • Songs

    1Santy Anno1:56
    2If I Had a Ribbon Bow2:43
    3Muleskinner Blues2:49

    References

    Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA