"To Be Young, Gifted and Black" is a song by Nina Simone with lyrics by Weldon Irvine. She introduced the song on August 17, 1969, to a crowd of 50,000 at the Harlem Cultural Festival, captured on broadcast video tape and released in 2021 as the documentary film Summer of Soul.[1][2] Two months later, she recorded the song as part of her concert at Philharmonic Hall, a performance that resulted in her live album Black Gold (1970). Released as a single, it peaked at number 8 on the R&B chart and number 76 on the Hot 100 in January 1970.[3] A cover version by Jamaican duo Bob and Marcia reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart in 1970.[4]
The title of the song comes from Lorraine Hansberry's autobiographical play, To Be Young, Gifted and Black.[5][6] The song is considered an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement.
Notable cover versions of the song were recorded by:
Donny Hathaway (on his 1970 album Everything Is Everything),[8]
Aretha Franklin (on her 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black)
Bob and Marcia (whose 1970 recording reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart[4] and number 15 in Ireland).
Jamaican rocksteady/reggae trio the Heptones recorded a version for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label in 1970.
Elton John recorded a version of "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" in 1970, before his solo success. Intended to be released as a low-budget sound-alike version of the original, it was reissued in 1994 on the compilation album Covers as Sung by Elton John.
American singer Meshell Ndegeocello included a version on her 2012 tribute album Pour une Âme Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone.
Michael Kiwanuka recorded a version in 2021 for an episode of Small Axe (anthology)
Young, Gifted and Black is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin, released in early 1972, by Atlantic Records. The album climbed to #2 on Billboard's R&B albums survey and peaked at #11 on the main album chart. It was quickly certified Gold by the RIAA. Its title was cut from "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", recorded and released by Nina Simone in 1969.
Franklin won a 1972 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.[4]
In 2003, the television network VH1 named it the 76th greatest album of all time.[5] In 2020, it was ranked number 388 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Timeoung, Gifted and Black contains original songs written and performed by Franklin, such as "Day Dreaming" and "Rock Steady". It also features cover versions of songs by other artists, including "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" by Nina Simone, as well as "I've Been Loving You Too Long" by Otis Redding, "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles, and "Border Song (Holy Moses)" by Elton John.
The title of the song comes from Lorraine Hansberry's autobiographical play, To Be Young, Gifted and Black.[5][6] The song is considered an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement.
Notable cover versions of the song were recorded by:
Donny Hathaway (on his 1970 album Everything Is Everything),[8]
Aretha Franklin (on her 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black)
Bob and Marcia (whose 1970 recording reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart[4] and number 15 in Ireland).
Jamaican rocksteady/reggae trio the Heptones recorded a version for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label in 1970.
Elton John recorded a version of "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" in 1970, before his solo success. Intended to be released as a low-budget sound-alike version of the original, it was reissued in 1994 on the compilation album Covers as Sung by Elton John.
American singer Meshell Ndegeocello included a version on her 2012 tribute album Pour une Âme Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone.
Michael Kiwanuka recorded a version in 2021 for an episode of Small Axe (anthology)
Young, Gifted and Black is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin, released in early 1972, by Atlantic Records. The album climbed to #2 on Billboard's R&B albums survey and peaked at #11 on the main album chart. It was quickly certified Gold by the RIAA. Its title was cut from "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", recorded and released by Nina Simone in 1969.
Franklin won a 1972 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.[4]
In 2003, the television network VH1 named it the 76th greatest album of all time.[5] In 2020, it was ranked number 388 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Timeoung, Gifted and Black contains original songs written and performed by Franklin, such as "Day Dreaming" and "Rock Steady". It also features cover versions of songs by other artists, including "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" by Nina Simone, as well as "I've Been Loving You Too Long" by Otis Redding, "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles, and "Border Song (Holy Moses)" by Elton John.
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