I always wondered why Nina simone did not quite win the mass appeal she should have here in the U.S. Its true she had a massive following but when she died a year and half ago she didn't get quite the fanfare that Ray Charles did this year. No film biography, no special cd releases (that I am aware of) just some somber and well done obits in the paper. I chose to compare these two figures because they worked throughout the same decades and stylistically appealed to the same audiances. Blues, Jazz, Classical, and pop culture. I have listened to sunday in Savannah at least two dozen times in the last day (I tend to listen to a song over and over again). And think its quite a poignant space to explore in light of Georgia on My Mind, which Ray is associated with and made a classic as well. Though others sang Georgia as well, Georgia is a Ray signature song along with Hit the Road (Jack). There are huge differences in the content of these songs and I'm pretty sure within the verses is one of the reasons Nina probably died a bit bitter and didn't return to the U.S. but chose to remain in France.

Sunday in Savannah:

One more
Sunday in Savannah
hear the whole creation shoutin'
Praise the Lord
see them flinging out the banner
while the congregation says amen

Young folk
tendin' Sunday School
they sing merrilly 'bout the golden rule
horse sense preaching all the day
they all hollar in the righteous way

It's time for me to call on Mother Hannah
while she sits there wishing for her last reward
one more Sunday in Savannah
one more Sunday in Atlanta
it's the same thing
same feeling

Don't ya dare
go fishin' son
Amen

(Note: The Version I have from '68 also has a preamble in which she mentions "He wouldn't mind if we changed the word from Atlanta to Savannah...I'm wondering if anyone knows what this is a reference to? I'm assuming an MLK speech, but I honestly cannot be sure)

Georgia on My Mind:

Georgia
Georgia
the whole day through.
Just an old sweet song
keeps Georgia on my mind.
Talkin' 'bout Georgia
I'm in Georgia.
A song of you comes as sweet and clear
as moon light through the pines.
Other arms reach out to me.
Other eyes smile tenderly.
Still in peaceful dreams I see
the road leads back to you.
Georgia
sweet Georgia
no peace I find.
Just an old sweet song
keeps Georgia on my mind.
Just an old sweet song
keeps Georgia on my mind.

I mention these two songs because they address a similar space, but one is profoundly more aggressive even in its nostalgic memories of atmosphere. "Don't ya Dare go Fishin' Son" is interesting. I always assumed that the fish was a symbol for Jesus (which it is) and that nina was condemning racial and class oppression by argueing that even faith was not overcoming Civil rights problems. The song always feels to me as though she is saying that every Sunday people pray for peace and that it never quite comes. That the entire space becomes empty because of desperation. I've never studied this closely of formally, this is just my interpretation of the lyrics.

Georgia on My Mind has been song numerous times by everyone from Billie Holiday to James Brown, and I wonder what Ray brought that was new to it. I would like to think just his stylistic difference and voice were not all. He has a way of dragging the "on my mind" which is quite different than other versions I've heard, and really harkens back to personal longing. why would he long for the space and history remains unanswered in the lyrics and makes the song alot more palatable. Was Ray profoundly non-political? I doubt it. Its tough not to be singing in the 50's and 60's and 70's. But perhaps its more personal? I never noticed, though I only have one cd from him, that he took the characters in his songs to be microcosms of something bigger. He focuses more on personal memory, personal struggle, and family affairs (not all of them glamorous, the lyrics to Hit the Road are about a woman kicking her husband out of the House).

I hesitate to place value as far as one singer over the other, but admittedly have always had a much stronger interest in Nina. I wonder why so many did not? I think part of it is that personal struggle and Ray's much more affable performance humor and personality were better received here. In Savannah Nina also comments on how she loved MLK because he believed in what he stood for and lived it, but that she wasn't going to be non-violent. she laughed and part of the audiance did as well, but that doesn't blow over all that well with many. Its too bad, I would have liked to see a film about her the way Ray came out this year for Charles. But its interesting how one became an American music icon while the other had a cult following but died alone in France pretty much. especially in light of their often personal commentary on the South and their experiences growing up.

I found this on one site:

This site is dedicated to Nina Simone, the great singer, pianist, composer, arranger, songwriter.

Nina was born in North Carolina, USA, February 21, 1933. In the late 50s she recorded her first album. One song, "I Loves You Porgy", became a hit and Nina became a star, performing at Town Hall, Carnegie Hall and at jazz festivals with a repertoire ranging from gospel music to African music, from blues to Ellington songs, from classical music to folk songs of diverse origin.

Although Nina was called the "High Priestess of Soul" by her fans and was regarded by them as an almost religious figure, she was often misunderstood as well. The High Priestess would walk different paths to find the adequate songs to spread her message.

A protest singer; a jazz singer; a pianist; an arranger and a composer, Nina Simone is a great artist who defies easy classification. She is all of these: a jazz-rock-pop-folk-black musician. In fact, we can find her biography in jazz, rock, pop, black and soul literature. Her style and her hits provided many singers and groups with material for hits of their own.

Nina Simone died April 21, 2003 in Carry-le-Rouet, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.


And on Ray:

A multitalented blind black musician, Ray Charles pioneered soul music, which became enormously popular among both black and white audiences beginning in the late '50s. In secularizing certain aspects of gospel music (chord changes, song structures, call and response techniques, and vocal screams, wails, and moans) and adding blues based lyrics, he virtually invented a new genre of music.

Born in 1930, Ray Charles (nee Ray Charles Robinson) in Albany, Georgia grew up in Greenville, Florida.  At age six he started to lose his sight from glaucoma after traumatically watching watching his brother drown in the washtub his mother used for take-in laundry. At the age of seven, from 1937 to 1945 he attended the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind, where he learned piano, and later clarinet and alto saxophone, compose for big bands, as well as learning to read and write music in Braile. Orphaned at fifteen, Charles struck out on his own performing in bands around Florida. In 1948 at the age of seventeen Charles took his $600 savings and moved to Seattle. There he formed the Maxim trio, a group grounded in the style of Nat "King" Cole and Charles Brown. The Maxim Trio had a major R&B hit in 1949 with "Confession Blues" on the Downbeat (later Swing Time) label...Charles toured with blues artist Lowell Fulson in the early '50s, having R&B hits with "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand" and "Kiss Me Baby" on the small Los Angeles based Swingtime Label...

...In 1973 Charles left ABC Records, retaining the rights to his ABC material and transferring his Tangerine operation to the new label Crossover. During 1976 he recorded Porgy and Bess with Cleo Laine for RCA Records. In 1977 he returned to Atlantic, moving to Columbia in the '80s and Warner Brothers in the '90s. In 1978 Dial Press published his autobiography and in 1980 appeared in The Blues Brothers movie and scored a minor country hit for his duet with Clint Eastwood, "Beers to You, from the film Any Which Way You Can. Charles had a major country hit with "Born To Love Me" in 1982 and later recorded duets with country stars on Friendship. The album yielded five country hits, including "We Didn't See a Thing" (with George Jones), "Seven Spanish Angels"( with Willie Nelson) and "Two Cats Like Us" (with Hank Williams JR,). Charles also played a major role in the recording of USA for Africa's "We Are the World" single in 1985.

1n 1989 Charles had his first major pop hit in over twenty years with with "I'll Be Good to You," featuring himself and Chaka Khan. In the '90s Charles appeared in commercials for Pepsi and was the subject of a PBS documentary.

Ray Charles continues to work about eight months a year, touring with a large orchestra. He lives in Los Angeles where he is involved with RPM International, a corporation that includes Crossover Records, the music publishing companies Tangerine and Racer Music, and RPM Studios, where he records. In 1990 Charles began recording for Warner Brothers, recording in 1993 My World with Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Mavis Staples, and June Porter.

Charles was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1982.Charles was also inducted into the Rock and Roll's Hall of Fame in its inaugural year 1986.

I've only heard of the Nina Simone name but never knew who she was. Georgia on my Mind is wonderfully beauty song though.

Its an excellent song. I have versions by James Brown and Ray Charles and I must say Ray does it the best. I only have one compilation of his, but my favorite three songs, Georgia on My Mind, Hit the Road, and Unchain My Heart are all on it. I suggest if there is a music store with listening statins near you that you check out Nina. A good compilation is the double cd set Sugar in My Bowl. But the version of Mississippi Goddam that's on it isn't my favorite. There is an excellent Best of Nina Simone in just one cd that has great versions of M. Goddam, Sinnerman, Misunderstood, etc. I wonder if Torri has it at home and can upload the song I'm speaking about onto that listening collection he wanted to start?

while I'm not a huge fan of Ray Charles, I think Nina is great.

Her 'My Baby Just Cares for Me' in the live recording format is amazing. She cracks me up and chides the audience for not singing along well enough. Love it!

Ultimately she's an artist. I mean this seriously. I was wondering what distinguishes singers in the era where songwriters and producers owned the copyright and the question wasn't about authenticity of a song but rather about authenticity of an interpretation of it. Nina really takes these songs in unique ways. I was listening to Suzanne last night and realized she actually jumps between genders, so you can never be sure if the song is about love of a woman, or love of a man singing about a woman, etc. She also did gendered readings of such songs as Misunderstood, I Put a Spell on You, etc. They stood out, and were pretty cerebral and definately abbrassive at moments. She was very political as well. I really think she stood out the most and unfortunately got the least recognition. I'm still waiting for someone to put her life to a film biography.

Well that's the beauty of jazz/folk music. It really is androgynous in the best possible way. As a singer, I benefit in that some beautiful songs (paper moon, cry me a river, et al.) can be sung by either gender. Songs along the likes of Porter/Gershwin are wonderfu like that. At the same time interpretation is just what makes them work (or not work) in the eyes of the audience. Was Sinatra the best singer? Of course not, but his style was the appeal

When will people recognize some folks along these lines? Way too many are overdue.