Joseph Algerine Odom (March 22, 1948 – November 2, 1991) was an American attorney who later became a musician. He came to prominence after his appearance as one of the main characters in

John Berendt John Berendt (born December 5, 1939) is an American author, known for writing the best-selling non-fiction book ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'', which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. Biography Ber ...

's true-crime book ''

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published in 1994 and follows the story of an antiques dealer on trial for the murder of a male prostitute. Subtitled ''A Savannah S ...

'', although he died three years before its publication.

Early life

Odom was born in

Claxton, Georgia Claxton is a city in Evans County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,746 at the 2010 census, up from 2,276 in 2000. It is the county seat of Evans County. History The town had its visionary, W.R. Hendricks. In May 1890 there were only a ...

, on March 22, 1948. He later moved to

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

, where he was a "

ne'er-do-well "Ne'er-do-well" is a derogatory term for a good-for-nothing person; or a rogue (vagrant), rogue, Vagrancy (people), vagrant or vagabond without means of support. Colonial context The term ne'er-do-well was used in the nineteenth-century Austra ...

" attorney.

Death

Odom died on November 2, 1991, from complications of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. He was 43, and was living at the time in an apartment inside Savannah's

Hamilton–Turner Inn The Hamilton–Turner Inn (also known as the Hamilton–Turner House and the Samuel P. Hamilton House) is a historic mansion in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Built in 1873,Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published in 1994 and follows the story of an antiques dealer on trial for the murder of a male prostitute. Subtitled ''A Savannah S ...

'', Odom was portrayed as the love interest of Mandy Nichols; however, Nancy Hillis, upon whom Nichols was based, has stated that there was no romantic relationship between her and Odom, who was "not strictly heterosexual." They performed music together only and owned a bar, Sweet Georgia Brown's, in Savannah's City Market."‘This is the real me’; ‘Midnight’ star Nancy Hillis shines light on her life in new book"
- Bluffon Today, January 20, 2016 (Odom was also friends with and a business partner of

Emma Kelly Emma Thompson Kelly (December 17, 1918 – January 17, 2001) was an American musician. Known as the "Lady of 6,000 Songs", she appeared in both John Berendt's 1994 book ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' and its 1997 movie adaptation. ...

, dubbed by

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

as the "lady of six-thousand songs", who also appears in the book.)"A return trip to Savannah in honor of 25th anniversary of 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'"
- ''

Palm Beach Daily News The ''Palm Beach Daily News'' is a newspaper serving the town of Palm Beach in Palm Beach County in South Florida. It is also known as "The Shiny Sheet" because of its heavy, slick newsprint stock. It was founded in 1897 as the ''Lake Worth Dail ...

'', March 23, 2019 Hillis also said that, contrary to what Berendt wrote, she and Odom did not meet until Odom had moved from 16 East Jones Street in Savannah to 101 East

Oglethorpe Avenue Oglethorpe Avenue is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located, in its downtown section, between York Street to the north and Hull Street to the south, it runs for about from the Atlantic Coastal Highway (U.S. Route 17) ...

, a three-storey townhouse at the corner of Drayton Street. From there, he moved to

Pulaski Square Pulaski Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the fourth row of the city's five rows of squares, on Barnard Street and West Macon Street, and was laid out in 1837. It is south of Orleans Square, ...

. Odom died three years before the book's 1994 release."MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF FACT AND FICTION"
- ''

Washington Examiner The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American conservative news outlet which consists principally of an online/digital website with a weekly magazine, based in Washington, D.C. It is owned by MediaDC, a subsidiary of Clarity Media Group, which is ow ...

'', December 29, 1996 Hillis died in 2016, aged 67, after a five-year battle with

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...

."Nancy Hillis, ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’s’ Mandy, passes away"
- ''

Savannah Morning News The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its metropolitan area, and parts of South Ca ...

'', August 9, 2016 Odom was portrayed by

Paul Hipp Paul Hipp (born July 16, 1963) is an American actor, singer, songwriter and filmmaker. Early life Paul Hipp was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Warminster. He left Pennsylvania for New York City immediately after high school, st ...

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

's 1997

movie adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

. File:16 East Jones Street.jpg, One of Odom's former residences in Savannah, 16 East Jones Street File:John Hunter Duplex.jpg, He moved to 101 East Oglethorpe (right) shortly before meeting Nancy Hillis for the first time

References

External links

Joseph Algerine Odom
at FindAGrave.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Odom, Joe 1948 births 1991 deaths People from Claxton, Georgia 21st-century American pianists AIDS-related deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American lawyers