How does one start writing about a legend?
I was introduced to the music of Nina Simone only in 2011. I was visiting a friend in Queens, NYC one Sunday afternoon when the song, I Love You Porgy, came on.
Like all her audiences, I was riveted and mesmerized. And, needless to say, became fan instantly. And not just for her music but because of her fearless songwriting about civil rights. Yes, a bigger fan!
Her voice is unusual for sure. But even more unusual is her story. Trained as a classical pianist by a woman Miss Mazzy, whose lineage included Johann Sebastian Bach. She rose to become the ‘High Priestess of Soul’.
It is not possible to classify her into one genre. She brought her expertise in classical piano to her songs. Performing jazz, blues and folk in bars and nightclubs she rose to fame.
What I did not realize was that she used music as her weapon in the civil brights movement. She did not spare even her own.
The latter part of her life brought a deep sadness as it was riddled with ill health.
Actress Zoe Saldanha portrays her life in the 2016 controversial film, Nina.
She championed the cause of black women and also of women in a time when the rumblings of unrest was just beginning.
She had unlikely supporters for her music and songs in Europe and America. She was fearless and a risk taker, knowing full well that her association with the civil rights movement would hamper her success in the music industry.
She has is an icon even today, her music featuring in a Chanel Ad.
Jay z, Timbaland and other musicians have featured her music in their songs
