TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
Nina Simone was a singer, pianist, and force of nature. Born in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, she was classically trained but fused jazz, blues, gospel, and folk into a sound uniquely her own.
Songs like 'I Loves You, Porgy' revealed her tender side, while 'To Be Young, Gifted and Black' made her a fearless voice of the Civil Rights Movement. Simone’s music spoke truth to power, demanding justice and dignity.
Her legacy lives on as an artist who refused to be boxed in—an innovator, activist, and storyteller.
Her music reminds us that jazz is about spirit, struggle, and the fight for freedom.
In her hometown of Tryon, she is remembered by a larger-than-life, 8-foot bronze statue of Simone seated at the keyboard.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and South Carolina Public Radio, made possible by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.