Me, My Guitar, and Nina Simone. Cet article n’est pas disponible.Me, My Guitar, and Nina Simone

Nina flew into Casablanca carrying a gun; She put the fear of God into two racist cops; Kidnapped a Rolls Royce with James Baldwin...

Nina Simone has been the subject of many researched books, interviews, and documentaries, but this book is written by her close friend, confidant, and musical accompanist. Al Schackman was her guitarist for over forty-three years, traveled the world with her, and experienced numerous adventures and amazing musical performances, including unveiling to the public Nina's "Mississippi Goddamn" at the Selma, Alabama March. His stories give true insight into her brilliance as well as her struggles with mental health challenges and relationships.

Al has also written fascinating, often amusing stories about his own musical career. He grew up playing in Black Brooklyn jazz clubs as a teenager, and was known as the "Skinny White Kid." He tells about being invited by Billie Holiday to accompany her on her iconic song "Fine and Mellow" when he was sixteen. 

Al was lead guitarist for Harry Belafonte for five years and traveled with him and Martin Luther King on fundraising tours. He was a first call session player for Atlantic and Columbia records in New York, consequently recording with various artists from Neil Sedaka to Ben E. King to Sarah Vaughan. He was on the folk scene in Greenwich Village when Dylan was a young up and coming artist. 

An entertaining and colorful storyteller, Al's insights and reflections into the many notable people he met and the events he experienced add special significance to his writing that makes great reading for a broad audience.

Al Schackman is most widely known as the legendary Nina Simone’s guitarist and music director. He met the late, great Miss Simone in 1958, thus beginning over four decades of touring the world and playing major global stages with her through the year 2000. When he wasn’t playing with Nina, he toured throughout the U.S. and Europe with Harry Belafonte. They frequently traveled with Dr. Martin Luther King, playing at his speaking engagements and fundraisers. Al also performed with Nina and Harry at the historic concert in Montgomery, Alabama following the Selma civil rights march. He was also first call guitarist for Atlantic and Columbia records. His guitar can be heard on recordings by Neil Sedaka, Ben E. King, The Drifters, The Eisley Brothers, Solomon Burke, among many others.

In response to many requests from those who have heard his entertaining life stories, Al has put them into a book, entitled ME, MY GUITAR, & NINA SIMONE, that is filled with his adventures and misadventures, some hilarious and some historically relevant today. His stories of Nina Simone are intimate and revealing; stories that only someone so closely involved with her can bring to the reader. He describes the dangers he encountered traveling with Dr. King, together with harrowing experiences as a white musician in a black band playing in the segregated south. His tales include various encounters with many celebrities as well as exotic foreign travel.

Currently, Al lives on a ranch in northeastern New Mexico with his wife Ginny and continues to write and record.