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“…But I’m just a soul
whose intentions are good, oh Lord please don’t let me be misunderstood”
eases out of the nearby CD player and dances inside my ears and mind, as
my soul slips into the speakers and into the world created by the lyrics
and rich, deep, and distinctive voice of the legendary Nina Simone. Her
voice commands your attention without assaulting your inner peace: yet
she’ll deposit an inner piece of herself and her experience through her
music. You may know her from “Strange Fruit”, the powerfully,
descriptive and accurate song about lynching in the south or you may
recognize her name from her 1964 song “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”.
You may not know any of this sassy, strong woman’s music, but just know
the name. In that case, this article will do you some good…picture this:
You’re sitting in a Philly jazz night club in the ‘60’s. The lights are
dimmed, with a subtle hum from the murmuring audience. The stage is
blackened, and you’re sitting at your candlelit table sippin’ on
something nice, listening to the ice clink in the glass when all of a
sudden: “I put a spell on you, because you’re mine…do do doo
dododooo.
You better stop the things you do…I ain’t lyin’...” You look up to be
taken by the presence of a beautiful, ebony woman with pronounced cheek
bones, full lips, intense eyes and a voice that speaks to every part of
your consciousness. She is playing the piano and singing, telling her
story of love and struggle. As she scats, you’re blown away with a
presence that demands respect and a deep voice that takes control of
everything and everyone in the atmosphere, as she sings “I love you
anyhow, and I don’t care if you don’t want me, I’m yours right now! You
hear me? I put a spell on you because you’re mine.” As you sit there
transfixed, under the “spell” of this amazing woman you hear the host of
the night say “Nina Simone”. That’s a name you won’t forget once you
hear it …a voice you won’t forget…a presence you won’t encounter with
any other. She is so much more than a pianist and songstress: she’s an
activist, composer, arranger, songwriter, and woman. Her music has been
translated into numerous languages and is known worldwide.
“Nina Simone” (aka “The High Priestess of Soul”) was born Eunice
Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina. She was
the sixth of eight children and began playing the piano and singing in
the church choir at the tender age of six. She put on her first recital
at the age of ten at the town library; however, this was also her very
first experience with racism when her parents were made to give up their
front row seats to accommodate whites. This intertwined her passion for
fighting racism and discrimination with music. She left North Carolina
in 1950 with money donated from the community and attended Julliard
School of Music. She tested for a scholarship at Curtis Institution in
Philadelphia, but was rejected because of her race. She still had to
support herself so she became an accompanist for a singing teacher and
in 1954 landed a job as a pianist at Midtown Bar and Grill in Atlantic
City, New Jersey. This is when she changed her name to “Nina” (a
nickname given by her boyfriend) and “Simone” (she said it sounded
dignified) from the French actress Simone Signoret. She began performing
at different Philadelphia clubs with her new name and fresh talent and
in 1957 she was given recording time at Bethlehem Records. Her career
took off and in 1958 she released her first hit “I Loves You Porgy” and
“He Needs Me”; both were contained on her debut album entitled “Little
Girl Blue”. From 1959-1964, she released ten albums on Colpix Record
label. These included hits “Sayonara” and “Samson and Delilah”. In 1961,
she married Andy Stroud, a New York detective and a year later they had
their daughter Lisa Celeste Stroud. In 1964, she signed with Philips and
released seven albums in a three year period: hits included “Don’t Let
Me Be Misunderstood”, which became associated with her name, and “I Put
a Spell on You”.
During this time, she began doing protest songs in support of the Civil
Rights Struggle. “Mississippi Goddam”, her first protest song, was
written after the murders of Medgar Evers (June 1963) and the four
schoolchildren in Alabama (September 1963). Later she redid “Strange
Fruit”, which had been done by Billie Holiday. After Dr. King’s
assassination she recorded the song “Why? The King of Love is Dead.” She
was very outspoken and instrumental in the fight against racism in
America; however, she could never get herself to come to tolerate the
treatment of blacks in America while fighting to get change. This is
what separated her from other artists; she took on the fight for Civil
Rights and it was a part of her persona that she exhibited proudly and
freely. From 1966-1974, she was on RCA label and this was her last
long-term affiliation with an American label. In 1969, she renounced
America because of the racism and wandered between Liberia, Barbados,
Switzerland, France, Trinidad, Netherlands, Belgium, and the United
Kingdom. In 1970, she and her husband separated and in 1978 she was
arrested for withholding taxes in 1971-1973 in protest to the undeclared
war on Vietnam. She was quickly released. All of her other records were
released on non-American labels and remained hits worldwide. In 1993,
she moved to the southern French town of Bouc-Bel-Air. She has 30 albums
total; all of which defy classification because her music ranges from
classical to folk, from blues to Ellington songs. Her music embraces
numerous musical styles. This influential woman became one with her
origin on April 21, 2003 in Carry-le-Rouet, France, at the age of 70.
When remembering Nina Simone, we should be inspired by her struggle
against racism, her outspokenness, her class, her style, her talent, her
humanness, her realness, and her healing art. She struggled with the
pain and consequences of racism; she was a fighter for equality and
respect. But she also knew when it was time to heal and be healed: it is
then that she turned to music. Her music is left as a beautiful
testimony of her life and experience as a black woman in America. She
said in a 1997 interview:
“I want to be remembered as a diva from beginning to end who never
compromised in what she felt about races and how the world should be,
and who to the end of her days consistently stayed the same.”
What do we do with this information? We allow it to heal us. We take
pride in our legacy and sister’s strength. We draw strength from her
life in hopes of touching others in the way she has touched us. So to
Nina Simone we say “Asante Sana” for the lessons and blessings of your
dynamic presence. This article is a written libation for you: we’ll
never forget. Hotep. |
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