Black Gold is a live album by American jazz musician Nina Simone recorded in 1969 at the Philharmonic Hall, New York City. It was then released in January 1970. She got a 1971 nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, but lost to Aretha Franklin's cover of "Don't Play That Song".
The album is especially notable because it features the civil rights anthem song "To Be Young, Gifted and Black". The performance that night also included a calypso version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" (which Simone had recorded on To Love Somebody), but there was no room for it on the album.
With the release of the album also came an LP called Come Together with Nina Simone. It was a recorded interview about the album. The questions were provided in written form, so that radio DJs could ask the questions and play Simone's recorded answers, as if she were in the studio.David Brun Lambert: Nina Simone: het tragische lot van een uitzonderlijke zangeres (dutch translation from french biography, Sirene, 2006)
Track listing
Personnel Nina Simone – piano, vocals, arrangements Emile Latimer – guitar, vocals on "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" Tom Smith – guitar Weldon Irvine – organ Don Alias – drums, percussion Jumma Santos – congas, percussion
Technical Ed Begley - recording engineer Jack Medkiff - cover design
Charts Chart (1970) Peak position US Billboard 200149 US Hot R&B LPs21
References