Our previous Musician of the Term was such a success! We all thoroughly enjoyed learning about ‘The Beatles’ and listening to some of their well-known songs. This term we will be focusing on the Musician ‘Nina Simone’.

Who was she?

Legendary performer Nina Simone was an American singer and songwriter who sang a mix of jazz, blues and folk music in the 1950s and 60s. Apart from creating original tracks, she also created cover versions of songs by famous musicians, such as Bob Dylan and our previous Musician of the Term ‘The Beatles.’ Her ability to make original songs sound completely different was unique to her style with many artists admitting they preferred her version of their own!

Fascinating Facts!

• Nina was one of eight children, born into a poor family in North Carolina, USA.
• After she was rejected from the Curtis Institute of Music, she gathered a job at Atlanta City, playing what her father called ‘The Devil’s Music’ and changed her name so that her parents would not find out.
• She gathered a following of fans before receiving a record deal.
• Nina Simone released over 40 albums during her decades-spanning career
• Nina Simone never did get a number one selling single.

Famous Songs:

1. I Loves You, Porgy 1959 – Originally written in 1935 by Anne Brown and Todd Duncan but she made her own successful version.
2. My Baby Just Cares for Me, 1962 – Simone made financial mistakes in her early career, but this song featured on an advert in 1987 and her fortune was finally made.
3. Mississippi Goddam, 1964 – This song was a cry for mercy, an angry voice of defiance and reason against the way black communities were being treated in America.
4. Feeling Good, 1965 – This song used a big-band sound and is now one of her most famous.
5. Why? (The King of Love is Dead), 1968 – Written by Simone’s bass player Gene Taylor and was about Martin Luther King and his death.
6. I Ain’t Got No / I Got Life, 1968 – A joyous anthem which celebrated the things we all have and reached number 2 in the U.K. charts.
7. I Put a Spell on You, 1969 – Originally written by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, this song was a huge success and sounded very different from the original.
8. To Be Young, Gifted and Black, 1970 – Written by Simone, this uplifting gospel song continued linking her music to the civil rights movement.
9. Baltimore, 1978 – The critics loved this song but she was not fond.

Listen to one of Nina Simone’s most famous songs ‘Feeling Good’ below:

You can listen more of her music on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Youtube.