Happy birthday Nina Simone!
Sometime in college I realized how powerful of an artist Nina Simone was when I heard her version of Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy." Since then she's always been a favorite of mine. My old teacher, Connie Crothers, used to always talk about knowing a song on a "feeling" level. When she would tell me that, Nina Simone was always someone that came to mind.
Nina Simone 2/21/1933-4/21/2003