Eunice Kathleen Waymon, known by her stage name Nina Simone, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, choreographer, and civil rights activist. His music spans a variety of musical styles, including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel and pop. The sixth of eight children born into a poor family in Tryon, North Carolina, Simone initially aspired to become a concert pianist. With the help of a few supporters from her hometown, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York. She then applied for a scholarship to study at the Curtis Academy of Music in Philadelphia, where she was refused admission despite a well-received audition, which she attributed to racism. In 2003, a few days before his death, the Institute awarded him his honorary degree. To earn a living, Simone began playing the piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City.
Singer, civil rights activist, pianist, and arranger who worked in a variety of genres, including blues and jazz, and recorded"Strange Fruit". She was nominated for fifteen Grammy Awards during her career.
