A legendary singer/pianist and outspoken activist, Nina Simone started playing music as a three-year-old in North Carolina before relocating to New York City and studying at Juilliard. She began performing in clubs during the mid-'50s and released her first album, Little Girl Blues, in 1958. She'd go on to record more than 40 albums for a variety of labels, rack up several hit singles, play at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival, become heavily involved in the civil rights movement, and influence countless other artists with her unique blend of jazz, blues, pop, soul, and gospel. High Priestess of Soul was released in 1967 and finds her alongside a full band assembled by famed composer/arranger Hal Mooney. Here she puts her own spin on selections from Chuck Berry ("Brown Eyed Handsome Man"), Duke Ellington ("The Gal from Joe's"), and Nat Adderley ("Work Song").