Nina, known as the High Priestess Of Soul was born Eunice Waymon on February 21, 1933 in North Carolina – one of eight children. Her musical talent was evident from an early age becoming an accomplished piano player at the age of just seven. She attended the world famous Juilliard School of Music in New York but moved to Philadelphia to study at the Curtis Institute of Music whilst supplementing her income by playing and singing at local night-clubs.
Nina Simone, like contemporary Ray Charles, was happy to present her music in several genres during her long and distinguished career and happily sang the blues, gospel, folk, soul, jazz and pop but was perhaps happiest playing the piano, particularly playing the music of her beloved Duke Ellington.
Nina Simone was not the easiest of performers to deal with and could be moody and aggressive – as numerous promoters and record companies would attest. She had numerous run-ins with her various record companies and would make spontaneous changes when performing live. She had a fearsome reputation for berating noisy members of her audiences and would often stop performing to take issue with them, on occasions walking off stage. Her volatile nature brought her into conflict with the French authorities when in 1995 she was given a suspended 8 month jail term after firing a gun at noisy teenagers who were playing near her then home in Bouc-Bel-Air.
Miss Simone’s best known recordings were “One Night Stand” and “My Baby Just Cares For Me” which secured UK chart status in the 1960x. The latter was re-released in 1987 and achieved a new legion of younger fans.
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NINA SIMONE
HIGH PRIESTESS OF SONG
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