(1933-02-21)February 21, 1933 Tryon, North Carolina, U.S.
Died
April 21, 2003(2003-04-21) (aged 70) Carry-le-Rouet, France
Genres
Jazz
R&B
classical
folk
gospel
blues
soul
Occupation(s)
Singer
songwriter
pianist
composer
arranger
activist
Instrument(s)
Vocals
piano
Discography
Nina Simone discography
Years active
1954–2003
Labels
Bethlehem
Colpix
Elektra
Philips
RCA Victor
CTI
Legacy
Verve
Website
www.ninasimone.com
Signature
Musical artist
Nina Simone (born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) (/ˌniːnəsɪˈmoʊn/)[1] 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. In 2023 Rolling Stone ranked Simone at No. 21 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
The sixth of eight children born into a poor family in North Carolina, Simone initially aspired to be a concert pianist.[2] With the help of a few supporters in her hometown, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City.[3] 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,[4] which she attributed to racism. In 2003, just days before her death, the Institute awarded her an honorary degree.[5]
To make a living, Simone started playing 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"[4] or so-called "cocktail piano". 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.[6] She went on to record more than 40 albums between 1958 and 1974, making her debut with Little Girl Blue. She released her first hit single in the United States in 1958 with "I Loves You, Porgy".[2] Her piano playing was strongly influenced by baroque and classical music, especially Johann Sebastian Bach,[7] and accompanied expressive, jazz-like singing in her contralto voice.[8][9]
^Nina Simone in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
^ abSimone & Cleary 2003, pp. 1–62
^"Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians – Nina Simone (Eunice Kathleen Waymon)". Jazz.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
^ abLiz Garbus, 2015 documentary film, What Happened, Miss Simone?
^"The Nina Simone Foundation". Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
^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.
NinaSimone (born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) (/ˌniːnə sɪˈmoʊn/) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer...
NinaSimone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and arranger. This is a list of Simone's official albums, both studio and live, issued with her...
NinaSimone and Piano! is an album by American jazz singer, songwriter, and pianist NinaSimone, with Simone accompanying herself on piano. Nina Simone...
Sings the Blues is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter NinaSimone. This was Simone's first album for RCA Records after previously recording for Colpix...
NinaSimone at Carnegie Hall is a 1963 album by jazz singer/pianist/songwriter NinaSimone. It is a live album recorded at Simone's first solo appearance...
NinaSimone at Town Hall (aka At Town Hall) is the first live album by NinaSimone, released in December 1959. It was her third album of that year, her...
NinaSimone at Newport is a live album by jazz singer and musician NinaSimone. It was released in August 1960; the recording taken from a concert held...
The Very Best of NinaSimone is a compilation album of songs by NinaSimone, released by Sony BMG in 2006, three years after her death in 2003. "Ain't...
NinaSimone in Concert is an album by the jazz singer NinaSimone. It is her first album for the record label Philips, composed of three live recordings...
by Les Baxter, the Swan Silvertones, the Weavers and others, before NinaSimone recorded an extended version in 1965. The earliest recording of the song...
artists such as John Lee Hooker, Otis Redding and NinaSimone, to whom he pays tribute in the track "Nina Cried Power". As a child, he was a fan of the bands...
with Signoret's husband, Yves Montand. Singer NinaSimone (Born Eunice Waymon) took her last name from Simone Signoret. Biography portal Film portal Cinema...
Goddam (A Homage to NinaSimone), on July 23, 2021, Ledisi released Ledisi Sings Nina, a tribute album to American singer NinaSimone. On March 1, 2023...
featuring Mavis Staples is inspired by the legacies of artists like NinaSimone, Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie...
NinaSimone Sings Ellington is the fourth studio album by American singer and pianist NinaSimone. The album features songs that were recorded by Duke...
contributing vocalist Mavis Staples, and the titular NinaSimone; the naming of the track is a nod to Simone's recording of Sinnerman, which features the lyric...
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