The first biography of Davis, Say No to the Devil restores 'the Rev's' remarkable story. ' Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead-who took lessons with Davis–claimed his musical ability 'transcended any common notion of a bluesman.' And the folklorist Alan Lomax rated him 'one of the really great geniuses of American instrumental music, a man who belongs in the company of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet.' But you won't find Davis alongside blues legends Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, even though his songs have been covered by Dylan, Jackson Browne, and many other hall of famers. Bob Dylan called Davis 'one of the wizards of modern music. Who was the greatest of all American guitarists? You probably didn't name Gary Davis, but many of his musical contemporaries considered him without peer.

Zack brings Odetta back into the spotlight, reminding the world of the folk music that powered the civil rights movement and continues to influence generations of musicians today. Her opera-trained voice echoed at the 1963 March on Washington and the Selma to Montgomery march, and her 'Freedom Trilogy' songs became rallying cries for protesters everywhere. Odetta used her fame to bring attention to the civil rights movement, working alongside Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, and other artists. Journalist Ian Zack follows Odetta from her beginnings in deeply segregated Birmingham, Alabama, to stardom in San Francisco and New York. Through her lyrics and iconic persona, Odetta made lasting political, social, and cultural change.Ī leader of the 1960s folk revival, Odetta influenced a huge number of artists over many decades, including Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Kinks, Jewel, and, more recently, Rhiannon Giddens and Miley Cyrus.īut Odetta's importance extends far beyond music.

Odetta channeled her anger and despair into some of the most powerful folk music the world has ever heard. Based on interviews with Harry Belafonte, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, and many other musical colleagues and close friends.

Say No to the Devil by Ian Zack