Nina Simone

Nina Simone
Simone in 1969
Simone in 1969
Background information
Birth nameEunice Kathleen Waymon
Born(1933-02-21)February 21, 1933
Tryon, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedApril 21, 2003(2003-04-21) (aged 70)
Carry-le-Rouet, France
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • pianist
  • composer
  • arranger
  • activist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
DiscographyNina Simone discography
Years active1954–2003
Labels
Spouses
  • Donald Ross
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1958; div. 1960)​
  • Andy Stroud
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1961; div. 1971)​
Websitewww.ninasimone.com Edit this at Wikidata
Signature

Nina Simone (/ˈniːnə sɪˈmoʊn/ NEE-nə sim-OHN;[1] born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop. Her piano playing was strongly influenced by baroque and classical music, especially Johann Sebastian Bach,[2][3] and accompanied expressive, jazz-like singing in her contralto voice.[4][5]

The sixth of eight children born into a poor family in North Carolina, Simone initially aspired to be a concert pianist.[6] With the help of a few supporters in her hometown, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City.[7][8] She then applied for a scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where, despite a well received audition, she was denied admission,[9] which she attributed to racism.[10] In 2003, just days before her death, the institute awarded her an honorary degree.[11]

Early in her career, to make a living, Simone played piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City. She changed her name to "Nina Simone" to disguise herself from family members, having chosen to play "the devil's music" or so-called "cocktail piano".[9] She was told in the nightclub that she would have to sing to her own accompaniment, which effectively launched her career as a jazz vocalist.[12] She went on to record more than 40 albums between 1958 and 1974, making her debut with Little Girl Blue. She released her first and biggest hit single in the United States in 1959 with "I Loves You, Porgy" which peaked inside the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[6] Simone also became known for her work in the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s,[13] and she later fled the United States and settled in France following the assassination of her friend Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.[14] She lived and performed in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.[15] In 1991, Simone published her autobiography, I Put a Spell on You (taking the title from her famous 1965 album), and she continued to perform and attract audiences until her death.[16]

Rolling Stone has ranked Simone as one of the greatest singers of all time on various lists.[17][18]

  1. ^ "Nina Simone". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
  2. ^ Simone & Cleary 2003, p. 23.
  3. ^ "Nina Simone". National Women's History Museum. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Simone & Cleary 2003, p. 91.
  5. ^ Simone & Cleary 2003, pp. 17–19
  6. ^ a b Simone & Cleary 2003, pp. 1–62
  7. ^ "Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra - Composers". Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra. November 21, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians – Nina Simone (Eunice Kathleen Waymon)". Jazz.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Liz Garbus, 2015 documentary film, What Happened, Miss Simone?
  10. ^ Fields, Liz (January 27, 2021). "How Nina Simone reinvented herself after a rejection from classical music conservatory | American Masters | PBS". American Masters. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Nina Simone Foundation". Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
  12. ^ Pierpont, Claudia Roth (August 6, 2014). "A Raised Voice: How Nina Simone turned the movement into music". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  13. ^ "In History: Nina Simone on how racial injustice fuelled her songs". www.bbc.com. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  14. ^ "BBC News - HARDtalk, Nina Simone". BBC. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "Nina Simone". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  16. ^ "Nina Simone". National Women's History Museum. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  17. ^ Stone, Rolling (December 3, 2010). "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  18. ^ Stone, Rolling (January 1, 2023). "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 4, 2024.