Nina Simone Sings the Blues is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone. This was Simone's first album for RCA Victor after previously recording for Colpix Records and Philips Records. The album was also reissued in 2006 with bonus tracks, and reissued in 1991 by RCA/Novus as a 17-track compilation under the title The Blues.
Song information "My Man's Gone Now," from the opera Porgy & Bess by George Gershwin. "Backlash Blues," one of Simone's civil rights songs. The lyrics were written by her friend and poet Langston Hughes. "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl," based on a song by Simone's great example, Bessie Smith, but with somewhat different lyrics. "The House of the Rising Sun" was previously recorded live by Simone in 1962 on Nina at the Village Gate. After its cover by The Animals became a hit, she recorded it in studio. The fast-paced version on this album is very different from the slow, intimate version on Nina at the Village Gate.
Legacy Musicians Beth Orton, Marissa Nadler, and Tanita Tikaram have named Blues among their favorite albums. In 2017, Blues placed #28 on NPR Music's list "The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women".
Track listing
Personnel Tracks 1–12 Nina Simone - vocals, piano Eric Gale, Rudy Stevenson - guitar Ernie Hayes - organ Bob Bushnell - bass guitar Bernard Purdie - drums, timpani Buddy Lucas - harmonica, tenor saxophone
Track 13 Nina Simone - vocals, piano Everett Barksdale, Eric Gale - guitar Weldon Irvine, Richard Tee - organ Jerry Jemmott - bass guitar probably Bernard Purdie - drums Specs Powell - vibes, percussion George Devens, Montego Joe - percussion Joe Shepley, Jimmy Nottingham, Harold Johnson, Wilbur Bascomb - trumpet Jimmy Cleveland, Richard Harris - trombone Seldon Powell, George Coleman, Norris Turney, Haywood Henry - saxophone Ralph H. Fields, Eileen Gilbert, Jerome Graff, Milt Grayson, Hilda Harris, Noah Hopkins, Maeretha Stewart, Barbara Webb - vocals Arranged and conducted by Weldon Irvine
Charts Chart (1967) Peak position US Hot R&B LPs29 Chart (2006) Peak position US Jazz Albums37
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