February 2022 Musician of the Month – Nina Simone

A rebel with a cause, a legendary pianist and singer, and a dignified diva. Nina Simone played from her soul and used her music to fight injustices. Her resilience is commendable because she did not give up.

Even when people didn’t invite her to perform and radio stations stopped playing her songs, she still did not stop. She used her music to make an even louder noise.

That is what brave and strong women like Nina Simone do. Let’s take a look at her interesting life and career.

Background

Born Eunice Waymon in Tyron, North California in 1933. She was interested in music ever since she was a child and she started taking piano and music lessons at the age of three! That is also when she started singing in the choir of her church.

Her mother was a Methodist minister and her father was a preacher and a handyman. She practically grew up in the church. Her parents saw her gift of music early on and supported her in this.

This is because she had incredible talent as she could play anything by ear. Of course, her parents soon let her take classical music lessons with Muriel Mazzanovich. This was the time when Simone developed a love for Beethoven, Bach, Schubert, Chopin, and Brahms.

She graduated high school as valedictorian and the entire community vouched for her. They raised enough money for her so she could afford a scholarship and go to Julliard.

Life In Another Place

She attended Julliard and during that time she also provided piano lessons to make ends meet. She could not, however, and had to leave Julliard.

She then moved to Philadelphia and lived with her parents. She worked and saved money so she could go to a more affordable music program which ended up being the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Sadly, she got rejected from there and claimed that it was racially motivated.

How Eunice Became Nina

After her rejection from the Curtis Institute she still had to make ends meet. This is when she auditioned for a bar in Atlantic City. She got the job and started mesmerizing people with her voice.

News spread like wildfire and soon enough, everyone knew there was a singer at the bar who was transforming the world of music. She had mastered the piano by then and her voice soothed every soul that came around.

She changed her name to Nina Simone so that her mother wouldn’t find out she was making a living through singing in bars.

Career, Activism, And Life

Everything turned around when she was 24 years old. The music industry recognized her talent and she got signed by Syd Nathan. She released her very first album in 1957.

During this entire time, she was recording album after album and created infinite new music. She even did covers of songs from The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

She always went against the odds and showed her talent in various ways. Her music style was bold, innovative, and a fusion of many. She also took a stance when it came to activism against the racial injustices taking place at the time.

During the 1960s, she was known as the musical voice of the Civil Rights Movement. She wrote many songs for the Black community and the injustices and discrimination against them.

As the 60s ended, Simone was tired of music and the divide in the country. She went on to live in a variety of countries and struggled with many things in life. She encountered problems with the IRS, her managers, record labels, her finances, and she was struggling with many mental health issues.

Her career took off again in the 80s and she toured from time to time. She did well for herself and performed in many places. However, it was reported that she was battling breast cancer and because of that, she passed away in 2003 in her home in France.

People like Simone may physically pass away, but they leave behind an everlasting legacy and beauty in the world that lives on forever. She was an amazing singer and musician who never let anything stop her.

REACH OUT TO US

To learn how you can begin following your musical dreams, contact the California Conservatory of Music. We provide voice lessons, piano lessons, guitar lessons, and violin lessons. Contact us now to set up your free 15-minute trial lesson!