Nina Simone: How an Accidental Singer Became the Voice of a Movement

There Was No Looking Back

Simone sang Mississippi Goddam in concert at Carnegie Hall in March 1964. She boldly called out, “You’re all gonna die,” to a mostly white audience. It was the song of the moment, and when she performed it outside Montgomery, Alabama, in March of 1965, where 3,000 or so marchers made their way along the 54-mile route from Selma, there was no looking back.

18th October 1964: American pianist and vocalist Nina Simone sings while playing piano at the World’s Fair, Singers’ Bowl, Queens, New York. A bassist and a guitarist play in the background. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

When she was introduced to Martin Luther King Jr., she stuck her hand out and warned him: “I’m NOT nonviolent!” King gently replied, “Not to worry, sister.” She had a rage in her. She wanted to burn down cities. According to Simone herself, if she didn’t channel it into her music, she probably would have been dead.