by Dick MacThe 79th anniversary of Nina Simone's birth was this past Tuesday, February 21st. I had the good fortune of seeing Simone perform at Symphony Hall, in Boston, in the mid-1980s. It was a remarkable show.
Then, in 2002, I was taken by surprise when she appeared on the Rainforest Benefit line-up at Carnegie Hall. That night I cried. Yup! There I was in the front row of the Dress Circle, in my tuxedo, watching and listening to an elderly, almost frail, Nina Simone sing George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun"!
I couldn't stop the tears. She was so powerful and her rendition of the song so moving that I couldn't control myself.
She died almost exactly one year later, on April 21, 2003. She was 70.
She recorded and performed a number of George Harrison songs throughout her career.
The medley "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" is from the musical "Hair." It appeared on Simone's album "'Nuff Said" in 1968.
A belated happy birthday, Nina Simone.
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