This track is from 1957 and is this the oldest track I’ve posted in SOTD, so far? I think so and double checking? Yeah, it is! I can’t gush enough about Nina, if you’ve never listen to her? Maybe now it’s a prefect time to start?
African Mailman is an instrumental song Simone wrote and original release from what I would called a various artists album with Simone on the from cover. Today’s shit fact is after her debut studio album on the label Bethlehem, she left them and signed with someone else and they didn’t ask to release the four out-takes from that debut called Little Girl Blue of 1958. Plus the other two artists on that same comp record were also on the same label who both left it too. That album was called Nina Simone and Her Friends and was released in 1959 but the sessions were recorded in 1957. Nina was in her 20’s and she sold all the rights of her debut to that same label from $3,000 at the time but need it to live in New York because the label didn’t support her in anyway and PR for the album was disappointing so wasn’t selling at all. But just look at the tracklisting it’s like one masterpiece after another, it’s estimated this one bad deal/label cost her millions over her lifetime.
Cheers! 🙂
a1000mistakes 
What a shame she sold her rights away for this album and this song, I didn’t know that, however I am not surprised. I am sure she was preyed upon by lots of people, it would have been hard being a black woman in those times. No wonder she was absolutely raging. I saw the Nina Simone documentary on Netflix, she was a very angry woman, but I’m sure a lot of things happened to her to make her this way.
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Oh yeah, I haven’t seen that Netflix doco but just read a book and stuff about her, she’s an unbelievable artist and most def be blogging about her again! 🙂
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Ohh what book is that?…sounds good. Here is the documentary…so good https://www.netflix.com/title/70308063
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Oh well, i think now i really wanna to re-read her Auto-bio which was called: I Put A Spell On You. which was sooooo NINA!! If you know what I mean? written in the early-90’s about ten years before she passed away, should have more books about her but maybe don’t? A lot of the reissues do have great very detail liner notes and found some great stuff online, try to included some cool links in SOTD posts from now on, OK? 🙂
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Nina Simone was the Van Gogh of her musical era. Unhappy, misunderstood, mostly poor, abused and yet with a glorious talent dripping out of every sound she made. Great pianist….unusual to hear an instrumental. Thanks William!
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You can say that all again and no probs Kev 🙂
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So very uplifting!!! Thanks 🥰
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🙂
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