Nina Simone’s story is one of pain, and her work is the way she carried it. It might be surprising to read now that she felt unfulfilled as a jazz artist and would have rather been famous for her piano playing, but that’s only because as the audience it’s easy for us to say what someone should do with their talent and career. We have a damaging tendency to meddle in things that should never be ours. Nina was singular in both her ability and the music she made. She will always be one of the best to ever do it. Those things are obvious. What’s less obvious is who she was behind all of the things she was famous for. Who Eunice Kathleen Waymon was. And it isn’t ours to know. At least not completely. What’s ours is to honor her work as best we can, and lose ourselves in her sound. To be grateful for the light she gave us, and grieve for the things she never found.

VMP Exclusive Edition Features:

• Pressed on heavyweight, 180g blue vinyl
• Expertly remastered from original analog tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound
• Gatefold jacket with an 8-page full-color booklet w/ archival photos + foreward by Salamishah Tillet

Learn more about "Nina Simone Sings the Blues"

Read the Liner Notes for Nina Simone Sings the Blues here.

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We watched 5 movies and read 4 books about Nina to tell you where to continue your Nina studies. Read here.

The Talented Artist Behind Our Print

We talk to Melana Bass, who made the unique print in our Nina Simone package here