Observation by Deborah Hall Kinley, Associate Dean, Continuing and Community Education
(February 2016)

 

 

Celebrating Black History Month means recognizing accomplishments, contributions, and the struggles of Black Americans through the years. One of my sheroes is Nina Simone.

Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist who worked in a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.

Born in North Carolina, Simone aspired to be a concert pianist. She enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York but was unable to continue because of the high fees. She was later denied a scholarship to study at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, despite a well-received audition. Simone became fully convinced her rejection had been entirely due to her race.

To make a living, Simone chose to play "cocktail piano" at a night club in Atlantic City, where she was told she had to sing to her own accompaniment, effectively launching her career as a jazz vocalist. She recorded more than forty albums, mostly between 1958, when she made her debut with Little Girl Blue, and 1974, and had a hit in the United States in 1958 with "I Loves You, Porgy.”
Her musical style fused gospel and pop with classical music, in particular Johann Sebastian Bach and accompanied expressive, jazz-like singing in her contralto voice.

Ms. Simone sang about injustice, and she used her remarkable talent to create a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion, and love through a magnificent body of works. She earned the moniker ‘High Priestess of Soul” for she could weave a spell so seductive and hypnotic that the listener lost track of time and space.

My favorite song is one we Africa Americans refer to as our Black National Anthem, called “Young, Gifted, and Black.”


References Wikipedia and Ms. Simone’s webpage, ninasomone.com