Maps of Music

Little Girl Blue (1958)

Where the lyrics of Little Girl Blue take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded in late 1957, this debut album reached shops only in February 1959 after the label held back its release.

Key places

Recording at Beltone Studios, New York (1958)

Recording site Beltone Studios — Beltone Studios in New York City is listed as the recording location. The album was recorded in late 1957, possibly December, in a session that accounts put at 13 hours. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover photo taken in Central Park (1958)

Album cover Central Park — The original album cover shows Nina Simone seated on a bench in Central Park. The park is listed as the cover location, and the exact bench spot is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Little Girl Blue: debut album by jazz pianist and singer Nina Simone
• Also known as Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club
• Released February 1959 by Bethlehem Records
• Recorded in late 1957, but the label held up the release
• Simone was dissatisfied with the delay and with the lack of promotion
• She signed with Colpix Records in April 1959

Background

• In spring 1957, while playing gigs in Philadelphia, Simone recorded a demo
• At the recording session she was in her mid-20s and still aspired to be a classical concert pianist
• She sold the album rights to Bethlehem for $3,000 right after the session
• The Bethlehem deal would eventually cost her royalty profits of more than a million dollars
• Bethlehem was in financial trouble at the time, selling a half interest to Syd Nathan in 1958

Recording

• The session took place in New York, dated to late 1957 and possibly December
• Backed by bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Tootie Heath
• The songs were those she played in her club set, without extended improvisations
• Mauro Boscarol reports a session of 13 hours
• Track count is disputed: Light says thirteen, while Boscarol and Cohodas say fourteen
• Eleven of the recorded tracks appear on the album

Cover

• The original cover shows Simone seated on a bench in Central Park

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina; the sixth of eight children.
• Began playing piano at age three or four and gave a classical debut recital at age 12.
• Failed to gain admission to the Curtis Institute of Music, which she attributed to racism.
• Played piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City and adopted the stage name "Nina Simone" in 1954, after which she began singing as well.

Career

• Debut album Little Girl Blue (1958) included "I Loves You, Porgy", her only Billboard top 20 single in the US.
• Recorded more than 40 albums up to 1974; her 1960s protest songs such as "Mississippi Goddam" tied her to the civil rights movement.
• Left the US in 1970 and settled in Europe, later living in Liberia, Barbados, the Netherlands, and France.
• Autobiography I Put a Spell on You was published in 1991; she continued performing until her death on April 21, 2003.
• Known as the "High Priestess of Soul"; Rolling Stone ranked her No. 21 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Members

• Solo artist; she was accompanied by percussionist Leopoldo Fleming and guitarist Al Schackman throughout most of her career.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Bethlehem issued no lead single before or after the February 1959 release
• Simone's frustration with the label grew from its refusal to issue a single
• Sid Mark, a disc jockey at WHAT in Philadelphia, played 'I Loves You, Porgy' on air, sometimes several times in a row
• Bethlehem then rushed the single out in May 1959
• Cash Box, in its May 30 edition, called the single a beautifully sensitive performance

Reappraisal

• The album rode on the success of 'I Loves You, Porgy' and later went on to become a chart success
• In 1987, 'My Baby Just Cares for Me' became a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom after a perfume commercial
• The same track went on to reach the top 10 in several European single charts
• The 1987 reissue led with this track and carried a new title and cover
• Later reissues added bonus tracks from the 1957 session

Records

• 'I Loves You, Porgy' peaked at number 18 on the pop charts
• 'I Loves You, Porgy' peaked at number 2 on the R&B charts
• 'My Baby Just Cares for Me' peaked at number one in the Dutch Top 40
• 1992 CD reissue by Bethlehem, catalogue 30042
• 2002 remaster by Charly / Snapper Music with the extended version added

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Simone recorded the tracks for her second album the same month she signed with Colpix, which became The Amazing Nina Simone.
• In 1989, Simone and lawyer Steven Ames Brown sued Street Level Trading and Charly Records over a 1987 licensing deal for her Bethlehem recordings.
• Simone said she still considered herself on a musical detour dictated by financial necessity when she made the session.
• The title on some early copies was Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club, and some promotion used 'East Side' instead of 'Side Street'.
• The 1987 reissue was the source of the album's second life, after the perfume commercial pushed the title track to UK fame.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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