Miss Nina Simone
Born with the name Eunice Kathleen Waymon she was raised in North Carolina to a poor family with eight children. She changed her name to Nina Simone in the beginning of her career so as to perform in nightclubs without her family knowing. Due to racism at the time she was made to perform her own vocals which started the beginning of her jazz vocal career. With the help of friends and family she was able to attend Juliard School of Music in NYC. Within the span of her musical career she recorded over 40 albums in the genres of jazz, blues, r&b and classical. Aside from being a talented musician she is known for her work as a civil rights activists, using her musical platform to spread awareness through her lyrics and musical presence.
Earning herself the title of “the High Priestess of Soul” Nina Simone captivated her audience with her vocal range, emotional depth and unmatched talent on the piano. Playing from an early age she always had a passion for music and expressed that through her classical training on the piano. Her earliest experience performing came from the church but as young as 12 she was performing in front of live audiences. Majority white audience often presented Nina with unsavory racial encounters, she often experienced denial and closed doors, this was not uncommon for her due to the racist mentality of many prestigious musical institutes. Playing at small clubs and bars to fund her musical career, she was able to record her first albums, debuting her album “Little Girl Blue” in 1959. From then her musical life was on the up, recording over 40 albums between 1958 and 1974.
Aside from her music her was an avid advocate for social justice and racial progression and change. She brough awareness to issues of the American beauty standard and demonization of Black women and social norms that make people with darker skin and afrocentric features feel ugly and less than. Always using her music as the main vehicle to convey her political messages, her recording of “Mississippi Goddam” was her first break into addressing racial inequity and discrimination in America. Through her political passion she was connected with and cultivated a close friendship with Loraine Hansberry, the two women both known for their outstanding artistic work intertwined with deep political commentary. Of her friendship with Lorain, Nina stated, “we never talked about men or clothes. It was always Marx, Lenin and revolution – real girls’ talk.”
“I was always a politician from the day the civil rights people chose me as their protest singer.”
Nina Simone