David Nathan

October 1965, London The Nina Simone UK fan club/appreciation society Ive started is getting a few members and one of the early newsletters lists the great Esther Phillips as a favourite among Ninas fans. Esther is visiting London at the invitation of The Beatles for a TV special since they love ...

October 1965, London My quest to find as many of the Columbia albums that Aretha Franklin released between 1960-1965 begins with the rare UK release of the LP, Yeah!!! None of Arethas six previous albums and only two 45s have been released in Britain until CBS issues the magnificent Yeah!!! I LOV...

August 1965, London Since Ive now been ushered into the hallowed circle of young British RB enthusiasts who have formed fan clubs for American artists, its time for an audience with the man whos dubbed The Godfather of RB in Britain. Gloria Marcantonio of the Dionne Warwick Shirelles Fan Club w...

August 1965, Littlehampton, England Im now in with in crowd of young Brits whose love of American RB artists is expressed through fan clubs created for for Irma Thomas, Otis Redding, Don Covay, although Nina Simone, for whom Ive started an Appreciation Society is not exactly an RB artist. Im stil...

July 1965, London Im on the set for the British television show Ready Steady Go! Nina Simone is about to perform for the first time on TV in the UK. Im in her dressing room and its my first time alone in the presence of this amazing artist for whom Ive formed a British appreciation society. Thro...

June 1965, London Nina Simone is performing for the first time in London at an intimate jazz club, Annies Room in Soho, owned by jazz singer Annie Ross, known as part of the trio Lambert, Hendricks Ross. Even though Im her UK fan club president, Im underage. I can only go if my father comes too ...

June 1965, London Im excited and nervous! Im taking the day off school to go to meet Nina, her husband/manager Andy Stroud and their 4 year old daughter Lisa at Heathrow airport at 6:30am! I greet Nina with flowers and as the founder of her newly-created appreciation society/fan club, she wants t...

May 1965, London Eagerly anticipating the arrival of Nina Simone in London in June, as the founder of her newly-created UK appreciation society, I had just one or two of her early Colpix LPs missing from my collection. One Saturday I was checking different record stores in Central London for what...

April 1965, London In anticipation of Nina Simones first European tour in June, I use all of the money I earn working at a record shop on Saturdays to buy every US imported LP by Nina! As the founder of her UK appreciation society, I have to have all of her albums before we meet! Her 1st Bethlehe...

March 1965, London Completely smitten by whatever music I can find by Nina Simone and wanting to be a part of the in crowd of the small but dedicated group of fellow Brits who love American RB artists like Doris Troy, Otis Redding, James Brown, Don Covay, Irma Thomas and more and who have started...

February 1965, London My birthday coincides with the U.S. release of The Sensitive Sound Of Dionne Warwick LP. I love the LP and Dionnes wistful look on the cover photo and I can sing along with every song! I have a crush on Bernice, the girlfriend of John, one of the young Greek Cypriot guys wh...

February 1965, London Age 17, I start working at a record shop on Edgware Rd. near Marble Arch on Saturday mornings to earn pocket money. I want to know more about the-then mysterious Nina Simone and ask the a-little-too-free-with-his-hands manager Mr. Green if we have any LPs by her. We have on...

January 1965, London I somehow manage to get copies of Billboard magazine and Im so excited to see full page ads on new LPs like Esther Phillips And I Love Him! which no idea that by the time the year ends, I will actually meet Esther in person. My expanding collection of albums and singles is de...