Verve Records And UMe Launch Yearlong Celebration Of Nina Simone’s 90th Birthday

February 21, 2023 (New York, NY) – Commemorating a milestone year for one of music’s most revered trailblazers, today Verve Records and UMe announce a yearlong celebration of Nina Simone on what would have been her 90th birthday. The “Happy Birthday, Miss Simone” campaign invites the world to celebrate Simone’s renowned career and lasting impact across music, fashion, and more. Highlights of the campaign include a previously unreleased live album, You’ve Got to Learn, recorded at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival; a first-ever official video for her timeless classic, “I Put a Spell on You;” a new greatest hits album, Great Women of Song: Nina Simone; stunning immersive Dolby Atmos mixes of her entire UMG catalog; an audiophile grade vinyl pressing of Wild Is The Wind, and much more to be announced throughout 2023. 

Jamie Krents, President of Verve Records, says, “There is no way to adequately describe the impact Nina Simone continues to have on music and culture. We are thrilled to be spending 2023 celebrating her life and legacy and continuing to help her music find new audiences around the world.”

Bruce Resnikoff, President& CEO of UMe, adds, “Nina Simone’s music and message remains as vitally important today as ever, perhaps even more so, and we look forward to celebrating her genius and influence all year long.”

“Happy Birthday, Miss Simone” launches with the release of Great Women of Song: Nina Simone, a collection of Simone’s most beloved hits. From “Feeling Good” to “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” the 12-track album features the very best of Simone’s catalog, and is an essential curation for both her newest fans and most devoted listeners. The set is the first release of Verve’s “Great Women of Song” series, which will highlight the works of storied musicians in Verve’s catalog including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and more. Great Women of Song: Nina Simone is now available digitally and on CD and will be released on vinyl May 12th. Stream or purchase now: ninasimone.lnk.to/GreatWomenofSong

Ken Druker, SVP of Jazz Development, says, “Over the years, we’ve learned that as soon as someone hears Nina Simone for the first time, they become Nina Simone fans. Through celebrating this milestone birthday, we hope to give more people the opportunity to benefit from all that Miss Simone’s music has to offer.”

Accompanying the campaign launch is the first official music video for Simone’s classic “I Put A Spell on You.” Throughout her career, the pioneer utilized fashion as a tool of self expression, favoring bold looks for both the stage and her everyday life. Celebrating some of the culturally significant looks worn by Miss Simone, the video serves as a visual reminder that her personal style was as fearless and uncompromising as her music. Watch the video HERE.

This June, Verve will release You’ve Got to Learn, a previously unreleased live album recorded at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival. Across a six-song set, including the title song and “Mississippi Goddam,” Simone leaves the listener as entranced as the festival audience, whose fervent applause was rewarded with a show-stopping encore. The Newport Jazz Festival was a special place for Simone, and this previously unknown recording is a tremendous showcase of her commanding power onstage.

The “Happy Birthday, Miss Simone” campaign will allow listeners to experience Simone’s work like never before. Beginning today, Simone’s entire UMG catalog is available to stream in immersive Dolby Atmos spatial audio. For the superfan, a Mastercut Edition of I Put a Spell on You is now available, in a very limited run. In August, Verve/UMe’s acclaimed audiophile vinyl reissues series, Acoustic Sounds, will celebrate Simone’s 90th with an audiophile grade pressing of her 1966 studio album, Wild Is The Wind. One of the most exceptional albums of her career, Wild is The Wind, like all Acoustic Sounds titles, will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl and mastered from the original analog tapes.

In October, all seven of Simone’s 1960’s Philips albums will be brought together in one LP collection. Four Women: The Nina Simone Complete Recordings 1964-1967 includes the seven albums Simone recorded for the Philips label between 1964 and 1967 in one of the most significant periods of her career.

For more information about the “Happy Birthday, Miss Simone” campaign, visit ververecords.com

Great Women of Song: Nina Simone

  1. Feeling Good
  2. I Put A Spell On You
  3. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
  4. Ne Me Quitte Pas
  5. Tell Me More and More and Then Some
  6. Lilac Wine
  7. Take Care of Business
  8. See-Line Woman
  9. Four Women
  10. Wild Is The Wind
  11. I Loves You, Porgy
  12. Mississippi Goddam

You’ve Got To Learn

  1. You’ve Got To Learn
  2. I Loves You, Porgy
  3. Blues For Mama (Hey Lawdy Mama)
  4. Be My Husband
  5. Mississippi Goddam
  6. Music For Lovers

Wild is the Wind (Acoustic Sounds)

  1. I Love Your Lovin’ Ways
  2. Four Women
  3. What More Can I Say
  4. Lilac Wine
  5. That’s All I Ask
  6. Break Down and Let It All Out
  7. Why Keep on Breakin’ My Heart
  8. Wild Is The Wind
  9. Black Is The Color of my True Love’s Hair
  10. If I Should Lose You
  11. Either Way I Lose