African-American singer, songwriter, and pianist Nina Simone was one of the most influential and involved civil-rights activists among the musicians of her time; her music being a blend of gospel, blues, folk, pop, and classical styles that became widely popular from her debut album, “Little Girl Blue”, in the late-1950s to her last LP, “You Can Have Him” in the 70s. Over the course of her career, Simone composed over 40 records that earned her two Grammy awards and 4 nominations for her lifetime achievements, all of which come from her contribution to the Black Power/Civil Rights movements. Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina where she grew up as the sixth child among eight siblings. Her mother was Mary Kate Irwin, a Methodist preacher and housekeeper who encouraged Simones's musical pursuits while her father was John Divine Waymon, an entertainer, barber, and dry cleaner who
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Waymon had used her time in college to prepare and apply for the entrance exam to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, crushed after having been denied enrollment as she continued to work as an accompanist and music teacher, continuing to pursue her ambitions through private lessons. By 1954, she began playing piano and singing at Midtown Bar and Grill in Atlantic City, New Jersey, adopting the stage name Nina, (a nickname given by a former boyfriend), Simone (after Simone Singoret, the French actress), and eventually signing with Bethlehem Records, publishing her first album “Little Girl Blue, in
Waymon had used her time in college to prepare and apply for the entrance exam to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, crushed after having been denied enrollment as she continued to work as an accompanist and music teacher, continuing to pursue her ambitions through private lessons. By 1954, she began playing piano and singing at Midtown Bar and Grill in Atlantic City, New Jersey, adopting the stage name Nina, (a nickname given by a former boyfriend), Simone (after Simone Singoret, the French actress), and eventually signing with Bethlehem Records, publishing her first album “Little Girl Blue, in