NINA SIMONE - I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl

In 1967 Nina Simone recorded I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl, it was released on her album Nina Simone Plays The Blues. The song, based on a 1931 classic from blues great Bessie Smith, featured some new lyrics by Simone. As a child growing up in North Carolina, Simone had wanted to be a concert pianist. Despite her outstanding audition, she was denied entry to the Curtis Institute Of Music in Philadelphia - apparently because she was black. In order to save for her music education, she found a gig in a small club in Atlantic City. The job required her to sing, and she developed a loyal following there. In 1958, in her mid-20's, she released her debut album Little Girl Blue  - still dreaming of being a concert pianist one day. She ended up selling all the rights to that album for $3,000, a decision that lost her millions. Simone went on to record more than 40 other albums in her celebrated career. Two days before her death, Simone was awarded an honorary degree from the school she had dreamed of attending - the Curtis Institute.