Nina Simone

About Nina Simone

Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born in Tryon, North Carolina in 1933 and showed prodigious piano talent from childhood. She studied at Juilliard and auditioned for the Curtis Institute, but faced rejection she attributed to racism. Unable to pursue her dream of becoming America's first Black classical pianist, she turned to blues and jazz in the mid-1950s, adopting the stage name Nina Simone in 1954. Her 1959 rendition of George Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" brought her initial recognition, followed by hits including "My Baby Just Cares for Me" and "I Put a Spell on You."

During the 1960s, Simone became a central figure in the civil rights movement, recording songs that addressed racial violence and injustice directly. "Mississippi Goddam," "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," and "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" channeled her activism into her art. She drew material from unexpected sources: traditional folk songs, Broadway musicals, Bob Dylan compositions, and The Beatles, reshaping each within her own sensibility. Her live recordings, including material from Town Hall and Montreux, captured her ability to move between gospel, blues, jazz, and classical styles within a single performance.

Simone left the United States in 1971 following conflicts with labels and tax authorities, returning in 1978. She remained active until her death in 2003. Her catalog on vinyl reflects the breadth of her work, from her Bethlehem Records debut through later Verve pressings and reissues. The Groove Hunter tracks 13 editions of her recordings, including I Put A Spell On You, Sinnerman: The Spiritual Nina Simone, and the Verve Acoustic Sounds Series editions of Pastel Blues and I Put A Spell On You.