How To Buy Nina Simone
Fred Dellar, MOJO, April 1998
IN SOME WAYS, things haven't changed overmuch since Eunice Waymon opted to change her name to Nina Simone so that her mother wouldn't find out that she was playing piano at the Midtown, a seedy Atlantic City bar. Forced to sing after being threatened with dismissal if she didn't, she hastily devised a set of songs, including 'I Loves You Porgy', when a customer brought in Billie Holiday's record of the Gershwin composition and suggested that she might include it in her act. At which point somebody recorded Nina live and released an album without her knowledge. Since then, she's reprised Porgy on countless occasions, her ever-soulful interpretations frequently appearing on live shots of dubious origin. Nothing changes.
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