“The High Priestess of Soul,” Nina Simone was a singer,
pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Mostly known as a
jazz singer, her music blended gospel, blues, folk, pop, and
classical styles. No popular singer was more closely associated
with the Civil Rights Movement than Simone.
Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on
February 21st, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina. Her mother, Mary
Kate Irvin, was a Methodist preacher and housekeeper, and her
father, John Divine Waymon, worked as an entertainer, barber,
and dry-cleaner. The family’s home was filled with music and
Simone’s mother encouraged her musical pursuits but she did not
approve of nonreligious music like blues and jazz. Simone took
up the piano before her feet could reach the pedals, and by the
age of six, she was playing during church services.
In 2008, Rolling Stone named Simone to its list of the
100 Greatest Singers of All Time, and, in 2018, Simone was
inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Internet:<womenshistory.org> (adapted).