Nina Simone
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Nina Simone Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Nina Simone was the first of the soul divas, and the most spectacular. Before Aretha Franklin, before Diana Ross, she established herself as a performer whose talent was matched only by her refusal to accept compromise. A classically trained prodigy, she brought her gift to bear on the whole sweep of African-American music, and much more besides, pushing ahead into an engagement with the blues, gospel, folk songs, and even rock 'n' roll.But just as she was becoming acclaimed by a more mainstream audience -- the Animals, for instance, covered her legendary version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" -- the course of her career veered away from the safe, conventional paths into the burgeoning black-consciousness movement. Her long involvement with the movement included a friendship with the black-power leader Stokely Carmichael and time spent living in Africa.She remains a performer of compelling and often disturbing magnetism whose range is unsurpassed. Richard Williams explores the life and work of this enigmatic and brilliant woman in a book that exemplifies what great writing on music has the potential to be.