What is your favorite Nina Simone recording?

A troubled icon whose defiance and singular voice has influenced a generation, there has never been an artist quite like Nina Simone. Recording over 40 albums, from show tunes to Civil Rights anthems, her's was a message that was indistinguishable from the music. read more

My favorite song of Nina Simone is To Be Young, Gifted, and Black. One of my earliest memories of her was when I was around 11 years old, in Forest City, NC. My brother and I went down to spend the Summer with my Grandmother and Great-Grandmother, Alma (Irving). read more

After Baltimore, Simone’s recording career stuttered, with little else to add to the canon, though it hardly matters when there was such a wealth of great material recorded over the best part of two decades. read more

Nina Simone Nina at the Village Gate (Colpix Records, 1962) Listen / Buy. Nina at The Village Gate. Time capsule, slice of life, 1960’s New York in Greenwich Village. Jazz, folk, gospel and African music. You can smell the smoke on this album, feel the floor beneath your feet. Nina was an incredible live artist and this is definitely my favorite live album of hers. read more