logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2020
27m 9s

Feeling Good

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

The surprising history behind a track made famous by Nina Simone.

Feeling Good was written for a now obscure musical and originally performed by Cy Grant, the first black man to appear regularly on British TV.

Cy Grant's daughter, Samantha Moxon, describes her father's extraordinary life from Prisoner of War camp to a successful career in the arts.

The composer, Neil Brand, discusses why the song has gone on to transcend the almost forgotten musical it was created for.

Other speakers are Sam Reynolds, who says the track helped her through challenging times, and musician, Kirsten Lamb, who sings a simplified version with young children at a homelessness project in Massachusetts.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

Producer: Karen Gregor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2020.

Up next
Apr 26
Bésame Mucho
The Mexican pianist and composer Consuelo Velázquez was only 16 years old when she wrote Bésame Mucho, and she was yet to have her first kiss. Composer and conductor Odaline de la Martinez remembers hearing the song on the radio as a child in Cuba. She translates the Spanish lyri ... Show More
27m 50s
Apr 19
May You Never
"May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold / May you never make your bed out in the cold."A perfect folk song of brotherly affection, with simply voice and guitar, John's Martyn's May You Never has captured listeners' hearts since 1971. John Martyn was born in Surre ... Show More
27m 48s
Apr 12
Ae Fond Kiss by Robert Burns
Burns began a correspondence with Agnes McElhose, also known as Clarinda and Nancy, a married woman he was besotted with. When she left Scotland to reunite with her husband he wrote Ae Fond Kiss as a heartfelt farewell. It was later set to music and is one of his most famous 'son ... Show More
27m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2016
Susan Tedeschi
Grammy-winning blues musician Susan Tedeschi shares her story of how a blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl from Massachusetts came to possess one of the most respected voices of anyone in her genre (B.B. King counts as but one of her many famous fans.) Throughout the episode Tedeschi r ... Show More
1h 13m
Dec 2021
Musical child prodigies
Very few people in the world are blessed with exceptional musical talent that is apparent from an early age. What is childhood like in the spotlight, especially as a young woman? To find out, Kim Chakanetsa meets two musicians whose careers began when they were children. Tosin Je ... Show More
27m 25s
Aug 2023
Music is escapism with Nitin Sawhney, Tim Burgess, Nainita Desai and Ayanna Witter-Johnson
Nitin Sawhney, Tim Burgess, Nainita Desai and Ayanna Witter-Johnson discuss how their family and cultural history impacts their creativity, being conscious of who they’re representing when creating, and how their output is a reflection of their changing identities.Producer, compo ... Show More
36m 58s
Jul 2022
Lizzo’s Complicated, Joyful Pop
The singer, rapper and songwriter’s peppy empowerment songs have made her an outlier in a field dominated by melancholic music. Guests: The Ringer's Justin Charity; Lindsay Zoladz; and William Robin.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politic ... Show More
50m 15s
Nov 2018
Episode 114: Director Steve McQueen On The Music Of Widows, Shame & Sade
Our latest episode of Soundtracking in association with the White Company marks the first appearance for a man Edith has long admired. Steve McQueen is a British writer, director and producer. who had critical big-screen success with Hunger and Shame before scooping an Academy Aw ... Show More
40m 43s
Jul 2017
Musicians
Anoushka Shankar on sitar and Kasiva Mutua on drums...two celebrated female musicians talk to Kim Chakanetsa about their paths to mastering instruments more traditionally played by men.Anoushka Shankar's father, the legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar taught her to play th ... Show More
26m 45s
May 2023
Good Deed
On this episode of They Walk Among America… On this episode of They Walk Among America… William Fischer was a man of mystery in the affluent community of the Hamptons. He was wealthy, well-liked, and was known as a bachelor. But little did his new friends know that he had a dark ... Show More
39m 47s
Sep 2023
Shirley Collins, folk singer
Shirley Collins first enjoyed success as one of the leading figures in the British folk revival of the 1960s. She initially performed with her sister, Dolly Collins, and also collaborated with other folk luminaries to create some of the era’s most beloved albums. In the past deca ... Show More
37m 8s