Sunday, July 22, 2018
Joyce - 1950s Performer
An artist that I came across when delving into 1950's music was Nina Simone. I had never heard of her before, but I instantly fell in love with her soulful voice and upbeat tempos in her music. I was intrigued immediately because she was one of the few African American women that I saw on the list of 1950's performers. The first song I heard from her was her version of "Feeling Good" (linked below!), a song I am very familiar with. I really enjoyed the twist she put on this popular song, so I continued looking for more music by Nina Simone. The next song I found was titled "Love me or Leave me" (also linked below!). I listened to this song a few times through, both because I really enjoyed it, and because it sounded really familiar to me! After a while, I realized that it was another cover of a song I had heard Billie Holiday, another infamous singer of this time period, sing before (I also linked Billie's version for comparison!) The way Nina Simone took the song and made it so much her own that I didn't recognize it initially made her even more impressive in my eyes! Nina Simone was an incredibly talented and unique artist that I was able to discover through research for this post, and I'm really grateful I was able to find her music!
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I absolutely love the song "Feeling Good", although my favorite version is a cover by Adam Lambert. I listened to your Youtube link of the song and was surprised at how differently the song sounded in this version at the opening. I love the way that one song can take on so many different feelings when interpreted by different artists. Simone's voice definitely soars on the track and I will be adding her to my list of artists I need to listen to! I've also included the link to my favorite version incase you wanted to give it a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjqmNOxsvCc
ReplyDeleteGreat non-rock choice in Nina Simone, one of the seminal jazz-soul vocalists/pianists/composers of the Twentieth Century. She really hit her stride, however, in the 1960s and '70s with such classics as "Mississippi Goddam" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black." An American treasure!
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