Overview
"The greatest female artist of the 20th century” – Elton John
This first-ever biography of Nina Simone caused quite a stir among reviewers. “A chastening read”, said the Sunday Times; “Simone’s story is as harrowing as it is remarkable”, said the Yorkshire Post. No-one was quite prepared for the life story of the singer of such enduringly uplifting classics as “My Baby Just Cares for Me” turning out to be such a chilling litany of mental disorder, vile temper, terrible abuse at the hands of bad men, and a self-destructively hostile attitude all too often to the acolytes who came to see her perform.
Brun-Lambert shows how Simone saw herself as a lifelong victim of racism, right from being turned down by the prestigious music school that would have enabled her to become a classical musician. Undiagnosed bipolar disorder, he argues, added to her torment. But it was her unforgettable voice, and, at best, her utterly magnetic performances, that kept people coming to a sold-out Ronnie Scott’s every time she was in residency, and the way she sang her hardest songs like “Mississippi Goddam”with such fire and fury that they became anthems of political change, and means so many people can only be curious about the real life of the mecurial woman behind the piano.
David Brun-Lambert is a highly regarded French writer and broadcaster.
Synopsis
Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in North Carolina at the tail-end of the Great Depression, Nina Simone was a precocious child with dreams of becoming the world’s first black classical soloist. After a rejection from an elite New York conservatoire—a rejection she always believed stemmed from the color of her skin—she began performing jazz, blues, and classical songs in a bar to fund her music studies. In 1958 her rendition of the Gershwin standard “I Loves You Porgy” became a Top 40 hit, and her subsequent debut album Little Girl Blue launched what would become an extensive singing and songwriting career. Drawing on a wealth of original interviews with Simone’s closest associates, this extraordinary biography follows her sparkling career as well as her passionate belief in racial equality that eventually led her to undergo self-imposed exile from America in 1970. Featuring rare photographs and a review of Simone’s more than 40 albums and numerous hits, this is an extensive look at the complex and extremely talented diva.
Library Journal
Nina Simone was one of jazz's greatest performers, but biographical works concerning her are few, perhaps because she pushed so many people away. A complex and troubled woman, Simone would verbally assault her audiences; she reputedly came from a nearly loveless upbringing, suffered from mental illness, and was naive prey in a music industry of sharks. This is a far different story from that of child prodigy Eunice Waymon, a quiet girl who dreamed of nothing more than becoming a classical pianist. Waymon would, however, grow up to be Nina Simone. Combining interviews with Simone's friends and colleagues and information from albums and Simone's autobiography, I Put a Spell on You, French music writer Brun-Lambert portrays the racial discrimination, rejection, and abandonment Simone experienced, which snowballed to create a legend who felt betrayed and lonely. VERDICT This first full-length biography of Simone is highly recommended for jazz music lovers as well as those interested in the Civil Rights Movement.—Brian Sherman, McNeese State Univ. Lib., Lake Charles, LA