I Own That CD! - Nina Simone

Yesterday was the anniversary of Nina Simone’s birthday. The singer would have been 88 years old.

Today’s I Own That CD feature is The Best of Nina Simone, a compilation of tracks Simone recorded for Phillips Records from 1964-1966.

Let’s talk Nina Simone – Pianist – Singer – Songwriter – Activist.

Born Eunice Waymon, she changed her name to Nina Simone to disguise herself from family members, having chosen to play "the devil's music"or so-called "cocktail piano". At the age of 24, Simone came to the attention of the record industry after submitting a demo of songs and signed to the King Record label.

Simone could sing anything – While labeled a jazz singer, Simone was so much more. “The High Priestess of Soul” took on show tunes, blues, remakes and classical. She made it her own.

Her debut album, 1958’s Little Girl Blue, contained one of her biggest hit – a cover of “I Loves You Porgy” from the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. It was inspired by Billie Holiday – one of her biggest influences – and was the beginning of her national recognition. Her songwriting and the songs she chose to cover became more powerful. “You can’t help it,” Simone later said. “An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.”

Simone played benefits and demonstrations, including the historic march from Selma to Montgomery. Her most famous song that tied in with her beliefs on racial inequality was “Mississippi Goddam”. It was her response to the 1963 murder of Medgar Evers and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four young black girls and partly blinded a fifth. She said that the song was "like throwing ten bullets back at them".

In an interview for Jet magazine, Simone stated that the song harmed her career. She claimed that the music industry punished her by boycotting her records. She felt shunned by the US and moved to Barbados and other areas including London, the Netherlands and France.

Other “hits” included “Sinnerman”, “I Put A Spell On You”, “Feeling Good” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”.

I love her honey-coated voice – It was unique and helped lead the charge of powerful female African-American singers who cared about what they sang rather than just record sales.

Nina Simone’s unapologetic anger and advocacy took no prisoners in the African-American struggle for equality in the early 1960s. Her beyond extraordinary voice sang what it meant to be black in an unjust and troubled world.

There are a bunch of great releases but if you’d like to dip your toe into Nina Simone, check this one out on your favorite music streaming service – or if you’ve got a CD player, you can borrow my copy.