nina simone fought through bipolar
disorder and Jim Crow laws to become one
of the most iconic black singers of the
20th century this is the evolution of
Nina Simone before she became friends
with civil rights leaders such as
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King jr.
eunice Kathleen Wayman was mastering the
keys to success she was born February
21st 1933 and Tryon North Carolina the
sixth of eight children she began
playing piano at the age of three in the
church where her mother who also worked
as a housemaid was a Methodist preacher
at seven years old she was performing as
a pianist in a recital with her church's
choir at a local theater when two white
women in the crowd were struck by her
talent one was her mother's boss and the
other was a local music teacher it was
at that moment that they decided that
Eunice's talent needed to be nurtured
with lessons for five years this music
teacher taught her tirelessly which left
Eunice isolated from other children she
was being trained with the intention of
becoming the first black classical
pianist donations were collected at each
of her performances to support her
further education and in 1950 that money
sent her to the Juilliard School in New
York City she was there for a little
more than a year when the money ran out
and she was forced to stop her studies
she applied for a scholarship to the
Curtis Institute of Music in
Philadelphia but was denied despite her
advanced skills because she was blind
her large family had moved to Philly to
be near her and faced with the need to
help support them financially Eunice
found a job playing the piano at a bar
in Atlantic City the owner made it clear
that her playing was not enough to
entertain his customers she'd need to
sing as well if she wanted to keep her
job never having sung before
Eunice just let the music pour out of
her and as it turned out she was quite
good the only problem was her mother
Eunice didn't want her preacher mother
to find out she was singing and playing
secular music so she took up a stage
name Nina was derived from the Spanish
word Nina a nickname from a boyfriend at
the time
Simone came from her fondness for the
French actress Mon Signoret
she was now known as Nina Simone and the
growing popularity of her voice was
destined to make her the soundtrack of a
growing movement
Nina met Andy Stroud through a mutual
friend after a performance at a
nightclub in March of 1961 he was
infatuated with her and the two were
quickly married Andy retired from his
career as an NY
see police sergeant to manage Nina's
career full-time they bought a house in
Mount Vernon and their daughter Lisa
Simone Wayman stroud was born September
12th 1962
Nina began making appearances on the
Billboard charts
she even performed on Hugh Hefner's TV
show Playboy's penthouse but it was the
relationship she forced with civil
rights activists such as Malcolm X
Martin Luther King jr. and Muhammad Ali
that buoyed her notoriety and gave her
close proximity to the happenings of the
movement she even lived next door to
Malcolm X and his wife Betty Shabazz
allowing their children to become
lifelong friends in June of 1963 Medgar
Evers a World War two veteran
Mississippi field secretary for the
n-double-a-cp and prominent civil rights
activists was fatally shot on his own
front lawn three months later four black
girls
the youngest of which was only 11 years
old died in the bombing of the 16th
Street Baptist Church in Birmingham
Alabama by the Ku Klux Klan these
tragedies lit a match in Nina Simone's
heart and she channeled that blazing
rage into Mississippi goddamn
[Music]
but the song was revered within the
black community for its honesty but
ostracized by the music industry Nena
was banned from certain airwaves and
boxes of the record would be returned to
sender broken into in 1965 Nina Simone
recorded a haunting version of strange
fruit which was originally a poem
written by Abel Meeropol and sung by
Billie Holiday in 1939 while strange
fruit wasn't her original work the way
Nina's voice wraps around such a
powerful and illustrative depiction of
lynchings of black people made an
impression that has captivated for
decades songs such as 1965 feeling good
manifested positivity while 1966 is for
women acknowledged the lasting effects
of slavery on black lineage Lorraine
Hansberry author of A Raisin in the Sun
and godmother to Nina Simone's his
daughter pinned a play titled to be
young gifted in black in 1968 Nina was
so moved by its empowering message that
she was inspired to adapt the play into
a song in the peripheral of her fame
Nina Simone's personal life was
unraveling at the cenotes Nina thought
overworked and began to lash out at
those around her she grew to resent her
husband especially as he became
increasingly physically violent towards
her her behavior was erratic and minor
irritations would incite violent fits of
rage one day she left her wedding ring
and a note for Andi and left the
continent unstable unpredictable and
unsatisfied Nina would circle the globe
to find out she was only battling
herself Nina Simone travelled to London
Switzerland and the Netherlands to
perform in clubs upon returning to the
United States she found out that the IRS
had issued a warrant for her arrest
because she'd stopped paying her taxes
to protest the Vietnam War she fled the
United States again this time for
Barbados and had an affair with the
country's prime minister at the time
from there she made Liberia her home and
sent for her now estranged 13 year-old
daughter
Nina's temperament hadn't improved and
her daughter Lisa received the brunt of
the physical and verbal abuse when Lisa
started entertaining thoughts of suicide
she gathered the strength
leave her mother and return to NYC to be
raised by her father Nina Simone was
diagnosed with bipolar disorder
shortly after relocating to France
without an D to manage her income she
began performing at small venues for
minimal pay unworthy of the notoriety
she'd garnered it took the fellowship of
fellow musicians and friends in the area
to make sure she was taking her
medication and help her book
performances that celebrated her amazing
voice and skill on April 21st 2003 Nina
Simone passed away and Kari Leroy
friends reportedly due to complications
from breast cancer Nina Simone's deep
haunting vocals continued to serve as
not only a source of encouragement but
also a capsule to the Past for the civic
leaders of today looking to evoke change
for the black community and the world
over all songs pinned by the High
Priestess of soul have also been sampled
by hip-hop artists such as Jay Z Kanye
West's 50 cent and the late prodigy of
Mobb Deep innovations that have brought
fans back to the roots of rap and
unified many through the nuances of the
black experience the best way to face
the heartbreaking details of Nina
Simone's personal life is with deep
appreciation for the fearlessness with
which she approached life the music that
flowed from her fingers and the voice
that uplifted millions in song and
spirit thanks for watching the evolution
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