Nina Simone

Credits: Far Out / Jean-Pierre Leloir

Full Name

Eunice Kathleen Waymon

Born

February 21st, 1933

Height

5ft 6in

Hometown

Tryon, North Carolina, U.S.

Net Worth

Estimated $5 million

Family

Nina Simone was the sixth of eight children born to John Divine Waymon and Mary Kate Irvin. She was previously married to Andy Stroud and Donald Ross. She also has one daughter.

Years Active

1954–2003

Bands

'The Nina Simone Band'

Top Tracks

'Feeling Good', 'I Put a Spell on You', 'Sinnerman', 'My Baby Just Cares for Me'

Top Albums

'Little Girl Blue', 'Pastel Blues', 'Wild Is the Wind', 'I Put a Spell on You'

Records Sold

Over 1.5 million

Fun Facts

"Nina" came from the Spanish word niña, a nickname given to her by a former boyfriend.

Related Artists

Billie Holiday, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Lisa Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Sam Waymon, Carmen McRae

Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist and civil rights activist whose music transcended genre, blending jazz, blues, folk, gospel, classical and soul into a deeply personal style. Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, she trained as a classical pianist before forging a groundbreaking recording career in the late 1950s.

Simone became one of the defining voices of the Civil Rights Movement through songs such as ‘Mississippi Goddam’, ‘To Be Young, Gifted and Black’ and ‘Four Women’, using her music to confront racism and social injustice. Across a career spanning more than four decades, she released dozens of acclaimed albums and influenced generations of musicians. Today, Simone is widely regarded as one of the most important and distinctive artists in modern music history.