Famed for such classics as Feeling Good, My Baby Just Cares For Me and I Put A Spell On You, Nina Simone was an artist who defied easy classification. During her career she recorded a total of thirty-four albums, encompassing music that ran the whole spectrum from jazz, blues and gospel to folk and calypso. As a singer, she was universally admired for her highly emotional and expressive delivery, her unusually deep and rich voice evoking and stirring her listeners' emotions in a skilful and varied fashion.

Nina's passion for the rights of others saw her record some highly provocative songs, including the infamous Mississippi Goddam. As a lifelong civil rights campaigner she was often berated for her beliefs and vocal opinions, but she would not be silenced. A close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, her song Young, Gifted and Black became the anthem for the civil rights movement.

Through a series of enlightening accounts of the highs and lows of the life of the "high priestess of soul", a selection of exclusive photograpns and an in-depth analysis of Nina's extensive recorded output, this book is an intimate and revealing portrait of the lady who put a spell on the world.

SYLVIA HAMPTON and DAVID NATHAN began their relationship with the late Nina Simone in 1964. Forming the first Nina Simone fan club, they went from fans to personal friends. Throughout this time Sylvia Hampton maintained a close relationship with Nina Simone, corresponding with her as she travelled the globe.

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