We conducted an evening series called The Hot Club of Atlanta at a local, now defunct, concert space called the Freight Room. One evening, Odetta fronted our local band
and performed to everyone's surprise, the early popular latin song replete with the ostinato line, Brazil. She called our Monday night session, "the happy time".

At the inception of her career, she performed at a Los Angeles meeting of the IGWLU
and I accompanied her on harmonica.

One night, in Topanga Canyon, outside of Los Angeles on property purchased by Woody Guthrie, Odetta and the local L.A. folkies that I hung out with stayed up all night singing and making up blues verses.

Odetta, for some reason unknown to me, never acknowledged the role of her singing teacher Paul Reese from L.A. who suggested that she discontinue trying to sing like Marion Anderson and become a folksinger. Both Guy Carawan and I decided to study with Paul because he had taught Odetta.