Modesto street singer Dellanora Green dies. She stirred debate about free expression
Dellanora Green sang on downtown Modesto streets for several years, raising money for herself and stirring a debate about freedom.
She died on Christmas Eve, daughter Ashley Owens of Fresno said in a gofundme appeal for funeral expenses. The cause was ovarian cancer and COVID-19 and other infections. Green was 61.
“She was a fantastic woman with a beautiful voice who loves her family and friends dearly,” Owens wrote. “So please help our family lay this beautiful soul down to rest.”
Green was a familiar sight, and sound, outside restaurants and entertainment venues starting in 2004. She would ask passersby if they would like to hear one of her a capella covers of popular songs such as “Killing Me Softly” or “Stand by Me.”
Some people liked Green’s way of supporting herself. Some thought she was too abrupt. Police cited her three times for illegal panhandling. She collected more than 1,000 signatures on a petition against how the law was applied here.
Green and two other local musicians took part in a 2014 forum at the McHenry Museum on opportunities for the arts in Modesto.
“We should have something that protects someone like me who has been on the streets for 10 years and performing,” Green said. “It makes it hard to live and survive out here. The City Council is tough, says I am forceful and pushy and rude. And I’m not, I have never been – even though some people are rude to me. Leave us (street performers) alone and get to the panhandlers. There’s a big difference; I’m a performer.”
Green was born in Fresno and raised in east Oakland, she said in a 2012 interview with The Modesto Bee. She came to Modesto looking for family and ended up staying, including several years living at the El Capitan Motel. She acknowledged a past cocaine habit.
Green said in 2012 that she made $40 to $350 a day in donations from her impromptu listeners. That same year, she recorded a 10-song CD titled “Woman of the Ghetto” and performed at the annual Modesto Area Music Awards.
As of noon Thursday, the gofundme page had raised $2,380 toward its $5,000 goal.
“I will miss hearing her voice fill the downtown air,” one donor commented. Said another, “You always brought a smile to my face when you sang Whitney or Mariah for me.”
Details on the memorial service were not available Thursday.
