Nina Simone's career spanned multiple decades and drew from genres like gospel, soul, jazz and blues. She was outspoken about her political views, leading to a tumultuous but fruitful career. She was born in the 1930s in North Carolina as Eunice Waymon. She had six siblings and picked up the piano by the time she was four. Her talent was recognized throughout her childhood and led to a chance for her to study at the prestigious Julliard School of Music.She originally started playing as an accompanist, but was soon forced on stage. By the 1950s, she was gaining notoriety for her distinctive voice and hit songs. She found mainstream success with her version of "I Loves You Porgy," and soon found herself as a prolific recording artist. She released nine albums in the first part of the 1960s for Candix, which showcased her eclectic style of music. The civil rights events of the 1960s spurred Simone to write more politically minded songs and to voice her opinion about racism and prejudice. Some of her songs about racism from this time period include "Mississippi Goddam," "Old Jim Crow" and "Young, Gifted and Black."The 1970s brought hard times for the songstress. She went through a divorce and was wanted by the IRS for back taxes. She moved to Barbados to escape the drama and from there moved to Liberia, Switzerland and other countries. She would later return to the United States, but kept a home in France as well. She wrote about many of the biggest happenings in American history during her lifetime from racial violence to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Simone passed away in 2003 from a long illness, but by that time had been awarded honorary degrees and a lifetime achievement award.
