Artist
American singer, songwriter, pianist.
Born: 21 February 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, USA.
Died: 21 April 2003 in Carry-le-Rouet, Bouches-du-Rhône, France (aged 70).
Nina was giving piano recitals after playing at her local church at an early age. Her childhood piano lessons were funded by her mother's employer and a local fund set up by her music teacher, so impressed were they by her talent.
She moved to Philadelphia aged 17, teaching piano and playing to raise the money for her studies at New York's renowned Juilliard School Of Music. To fund her family she worked in a bar in Atlantic City where she was also required to sing and built up a devoted following.
She recorded Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" which became a US Top 40 hit and transported her to a bigger stage, performing at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival.
Her repertoire went on to embrace numerous Civil Rights anthems, a movement for which she was a passionate and prominent supporter. She left the US in the 1970s, moving first to Barbados, and some other places, including Africa and the Netherlands, before eventually settling in France where she died from cancer in 2003.
Nina's voice drew heavily on other music forms. It was infused with gospel, blues, soul, jazz, R&B, and folk. And it found a wider audience late in her life when "My Baby Just Cares For Me" became an unlikely UK chart hit when it featured in a TV ad campaign.
In fact her music stayed very popular with advertisers as her tracks have been used to promote a multitude of products on TV, including yoghurt ("Ain't Got No (I Got Life)"), Diet Coke ("I Put A Spell On You"), cars ("Sinnerman"), fabric conditioner ("Feeling Good"), and perfume ("Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"), et al.
Tracks
A1
Mr. Bojangles
A2
Peace Of Mind
A3
Angel Of The Morning
A4
Baltimore
A5
Blues For Mama
A6
Day And Night
B1
Do I Move You ?
B2
I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl
B3
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
B4
In The Dark
B5
I Shall Be Released
B6
Nobody's Fault But Mine
B7
Since I Fell For You
B8
Turn Me On
C1
Backlash Blues
C2
Ain't Got No - I Got Life
C3
Whatever I Am (You Made Me)
C4
To Love Somebody
C5
To Be Young, Gifted And Black
C6
Turn! Turn! Turn!
C7
Just Like A Woman
D1
Do What You Gotta Do
D2
In The Morning
D3
O-o-h Child
D4
Mississippi Goddam
D5
Westwind
