Nina Simone’s Unmatched Voice Rang Out In Service Of Justice

Nina Simone’s journey to world-class stardom began in the small town of Tryon, North Carolina, where she was born Eunice Waymon in 1933.  Her modest home in Tryon, NC, is now being salvaged and maintained for future generations.  Feisty and strong from her early childhood, Nina Simone broke barriers as one of the most influential jazz, cabaret, and R&B artists of the 20th century.

Nina Simone’s unique talent was discovered in the church pews of Tryon, where Nina accompanied her minister parents on piano before the age of 3, becoming choir accompanist by age 6. 

Even then, young Eunice Waymon recognized injustice and fought back through music.  At 10, outraged when her parents were asked to give up front-row seats to a white couple at her first recital, Eunice refused to play until they were restored to their rightful place.  This portendedthe strong will that took her to international recognition as a significant artist.  Local women in the Tryon co

mmunity wanted to help this exceptional child, and they pooled financial resources to send her to the Allen High School for black girls in Asheville, NC., before studying for a year at Juilliard on a scholarship in 1950

When  Nina applied to the elite Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, she was crushed to be rejected despite a stunning audition.  Nina knew in her heart it was racism that ruined her dreams of Curtis.  The experience fueled her passion for civil rights even as she turned to popular music, adopting the stage name Nina Simone.  Nina soon added her supple vocals to her virtuosic piano, blending jazz, soul, Broadway, and folk into an unmistakable signature sound in defiance of categories.

With courage, Nina used her gift to lift others.  When the civil rights movement gained steam in the 1960s, she boldly penned “Mississippi Goddam” to directly challenge the injustices of the time through song.

Her sometimes gravely/ sometimes warmly sweet, slightly raspy vocals could swing from cabaret crooning to soulful blues, sometimes all in one track.  Nina’s intensity and technical skill as a pianist turned even simple phrases into poetic messages. “Simone is regarded as one of the most influential recording artists of 20th-century jazz, cabaret, and R&B genres.  According to Rolling Stone’s Rickey Vincent, she was a pioneering musician whose career was characterized by “fits of outrage and improvisational genius.”

Despite later health struggles, Nina toured the world, earning accolades for her courageous artistry up until her 2003 passing in France.  In 2018, the National Trust recognized Nina’s humble wooden North Carolina birth home as a treasure for its role in nurturing a talent that gave voice to the voiceless.

Though racism tried to silence Nina during her first recital, her music only grew louder, empowering generations to fight for justice through song. ~ Davyne Dial