Documentary of Nina Simone

     In class we watched a documentary about the famous artist known as Nina Simone who was especially known for her lyrics about political and social issues. At the beginning of the documentary you see Nina Simone standing their on stage looking very intensely downwards with almost no emotion in her face, still saying nothing. Right there I could tell that she was going to be a very powerful artist. A very powerful portion of this film was a clip from Nina Simone in the year 1968 in New York explaining her view of freedom, she explains freedom as having absolutely no fear. She goes on to explain that when she is on stage she is free. I believe that is one of the most moving things an artist has said.

     She started piano when she was 4 years old in the state of North Carolina. White rich women took Nina Simone under their wing to help her be more refined in the craft of the piano. She wanted to become a famous classical piano player. She found out that she was not getting accepted for piano auditions because she was African American. As she was trying to make money working as a piano player in a bar, the owner wanted her to sing or he would let her go. So she did. Eventually she made her dream a reality and played at Carnegie Hall thanks to the help of her husband her arranged for her to play. Nina Simone became a great artist who went on to create many powerful songs that tried her best to create social and political change through her position.

-Jack Brophy