Best nina simone box set
Discouraged, she took private piano lessons with Vladimir Sokoloff, a professor at Curtis, but never could re-apply due to the fact that at the time the Curtis institute did not accept students over 21. For the rest of her life, she suspected that her application had been denied because of racial prejudice, a charge the staff at Curtis have denied. Only 3 of 72 applicants were accepted that year, but as her family had relocated to Philadelphia in the expectation of her entry to Curtis, the blow to her aspirations was particularly heavy. With the help of this scholarship money, she was able to attend Allen High School for Girls in Asheville, North Carolina.Īfter her graduation, Simone spent the summer of 1950 at the Juilliard School as a student of Carl Friedberg, preparing for an audition at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Subsequently, a local fund was set up to assist her continued education. Simone's music teacher helped establish a special fund to pay for her education. John Devan Waymon (J– October 23, 1972), was a handyman who at one time owned a dry-cleaning business, but also suffered bouts of ill health. Simone's mother, Mary Kate Waymon (née Irvin, Novem– April 30, 2001), was a Methodist minister and a housemaid. She said that she refused to play until her parents were moved back to the front, and that the incident contributed to her later involvement in the civil rights movement. Simone later said that during this performance, her parents, who had taken seats in the front row, were forced to move to the back of the hall to make way for white people.
Her concert debut, a classical recital, was given when she was 12. Demonstrating a talent with the piano, she performed at her local church. The sixth of eight children in a poor family, she began playing piano at the age of three or four the first song she learned was "God Be With You, Till We Meet Again". Simone was born on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina. Her musical style fused gospel and pop with classical music, in particular Johann Sebastian Bach, and accompanied expressive, jazz-like singing in her contralto voice. She had a hit single in the United States in 1958 with " I Loves You, Porgy". She went on to record more than 40 albums between 19, making her debut with Little Girl Blue. She was told in the nightclub that she would have to sing to her own accompaniment, which effectively launched her career as a jazz vocalist. She changed her name to "Nina Simone" to disguise herself from family members, having chosen to play "the devil's music" or so-called "cocktail piano". To make a living, Simone started playing piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City. In 2003, just days before her death, the Institute awarded her an honorary degree. She then applied for a scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she was denied admission despite a well-received audition, which she attributed to racism. With the help of a few supporters in her hometown, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. The sixth of eight children born to a poor family in Tryon, North Carolina, Simone initially aspired to be a concert pianist.
Her music spanned a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop. My Baby Just Cares for Me The Best of the Colpix Years Little Girl Blue Verve Jazz Masters 17 The Best of Nina Simone Them There Eyes In Concert Nina's Back The Ultimate Nina Simone Lady Blue The Complete Gershwin Songbooks Nina Simone Something to Live For My Baby Just Cares for Me: The Best of Nina Simone After Hours Anthology: The Colpix Years Ultimate Divas Forbidden Fruit/Nina Simone at Newport Folksy Nina/Nina with Strings Live & Kickin': In Europe & the Caribbean, Vol.Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and civil rights activist.