Nina Simone
Eunice
Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), better known by her stage
name Nina Simone (/ˈniːnə sɨˈmoʊn/), was an American singer, songwriter,
pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music.
Simone aspired to become a classical pianist while working in a broad range of
styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.
Born
the sixth child of a preacher's family in North Carolina, Simone aspired to be
a concert pianist as a child. Her musical path changed direction after she was
denied a scholarship to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in
Philadelphia, despite a well-received audition. Simone was later told by
someone working at Curtis that she was rejected because she was black. She then
began playing in a small club in Philadelphia to fund her continuing musical
education to become a classical pianist and was required to sing as well. She
was approached for a recording by Bethlehem Records, and her rendition of
"I Loves You Porgy" became a smash hit in the United States in 1958.
Over the length of her career, Simone recorded more than 40 albums, mostly
between 1958 — when she made her debut with Little Girl Blue — and 1974.
Her
musical style arose from a fusion of gospel and pop songs with classical music,
in particular with influences from her first inspiration, Johann Sebastian
Bach, and accompanied with her expressive jazz-like singing in her
characteristic low tenor. She injected as much of her classical background into
her music as possible to give it more depth and quality, as she felt that pop
music was inferior to classical. Her intuitive grasp on the audience-performer
relationship was gained from a unique background of playing piano accompaniment
for church revivals and sermons regularly from the early age of six years.
After
20 years of performing, she became involved in the civil rights movement and
the direction of her life shifted once again. Simone's music was highly
influential in the fight for equal rights in the US.
Birth
name: Eunice Kathleen Waymon
Born:
February 21, 1933. Tryon, North Carolina, United States
Died:
April 21, 2003 (aged 70), Carry-le-Rouet, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
Genres:
Jazz, blues, R&B,
Occupations:
Singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, activist
Years
active: 1954–2003
Labels:
Bethlehem, Colpix, Philips, RCA Victor, CTI, Legacy Recordings.
Picture:
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Song:
Concert:
Nina Simone - Live at Ronnie Scott's 1985 full concert
Album:
NINA SIMONE the second album Side One
Interview:
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