Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues
Studio album by Odetta
Released	November 1956 (1956-11)[1]
Recorded	San Francisco, California, September 1956
Genre	Folk, blues, vocal, calypso
Length	45:14 (reissue)
Label	Tradition TLP 1010 (LP)
Producer	Dean Gitter
Odetta chronology
The Tin Angel - Odetta & Larry (1954) Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (1956) At the Gate of Horn (1957)
Original cover (1956)
The vinyl cover of Ballads and Blues

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Allmusic	[2]

Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues is the debut solo album by American folk singer Odetta. It was released in November 1956 by Tradition Records.^[1]

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.^[3]

In 2021, the album was selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.^[4]

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

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

Personnel

• Odetta Holmes – vocals, acoustic guitar, hand claps