Odetta Holmes earned a degree in classical music from LACC. After a trip to San Francisco in 1950, she learned an appreciation for folk music. She was known for a blend of folk, blues, ballads, and spiritual songs, inspired by the music of the Deep South. She moved to New York City later in the 1950s, and her career quickly took off. She became involved in the civil rights movement, singing at the March on Washington in 1963.