NINA SIMONE

BLUES & SOUL MAGAZINE (No. 893) 2003  


NINA SIMONE DIES  













   Nina Simone, one of the most influential blues/jazz vocalists of the 20th century died from
natural causes at her home in southern France on April 21st. She was 70 years old.
   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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