Nina Simone Essay - 1320 Words

Eunice Kathleen Waymon born February 21, 1933. She was the sixth of eight children born to John - an entertainer turned family man - and Mary Kate - who became a church minister - a poor southern black family that lived in Tryon, North Carolina. Her father played piano, guitar, and harmonica; her mother played piano and sang. Her brothers and sisters all played piano and sang in the church choir, gospel groups, glee clubs and social events. She started learning music the natural way by watching her family. The Waymon’s owned a pedal organ, and by the time Eunice was tall enough to climb on the stool and sit on the keyboard, she had musical talent. She was a child prodigy. By the age of 6, Eunice would play piano in church and†¦show more content†¦The disappointment of not getting into Curtis caused her to give up music for a while. Holding various jobs to support herself until she eventually started working as a pianist and assistant to a vocal teacher. One of the college students she taught introduced the idea that she go to Atlantic City and find employment as an lounge entertainer. Knowing that her mother would not approve of this notion, she decided to take a stage name. She chose Nina – an affectionate term that an ex-boyfriend used to call her meaning girl in Spanish – and Simone – after Simone Signoret a French actor, because she though it sounded sophisticated. With her new stage name, she got a job in a small bar and grill off the boardwalk. At first she just played the piano, but her boss told her that she had to sing or she could not keep the job. Nina began to put her own style – a mixture from her background of classical and gospel - to popular songs. This led to an unexpected career as a â€Å"jazz† entertainer putting aside her dreams of being a classical pianist. During the 1960’s, Nina got involved with the current events – the civil rights fight – as an activist. Outraged by the events and her own struggles this led her to take action; She used her music to try to change society. Her music was often anthems for civil right movements - such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee - during the 1960s and 1970s. After almost 50 years of music, Nina SimoneShow MoreRelatedThe Work Of Nina Simone1160 Words   |  5 PagesNina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, February 21, 1933 in North Carolina. The sixth of eight children, she began playing the piano at the age of three and showed extreme talent for classical music. Due to the poverty of her family, her mother worked as a maid. Nina showed her talent to her mother’s employer, who recognized her great ability and started a fund to pay for Nina’s piano lessons and early education. When she was twelve she performed a classical piano recital. He r parents hadRead MoreThe, Pastel Blues, By Nina Simone1310 Words   |  6 PagesNina Simone’s 8th studio album, Pastel Blues, is an album featuring a fusion of sistering genres: blues, jazz, soul, folk, and gospel. Nina, being the brilliant arranger she was, is known for her ability to blend these genres into her signature sound. A sound most struggle to classify due to its avant garde nature. She got her start in music by playing the piano in church. One evening her church had a recital where her talents were recognised. Which lead to her starting piano lessons. Nina and herRead MoreWho Is Nina Simone?1444 Words   |  6 Pagesperformance. Nina Simone is perhaps the most politically significant figure of the latter group, as she not only actively participated as a proponent of civil rights efforts, but became a pioneer in black power and feminist ideology. Nina Simone transcended the typical ideas of blackness through her music, and used this position of respectability to further more radical, advanced ideas of black liberation that would make up much of the rhetoric for the 1970s and beyond. Before Nina Simone was an activistRead MoreThe Most Iconic Civil Rights Movement Influencers Of All Time By Billie Holiday1590 Words   |  7 Pages1933, Eunice Kathleen Waymon, known as Nina Simone, would eventually become an American pioneer in music. Simones’ work left behind an extraordinary artist whose work left behind a legacy of love, abolition, and affection. At the measly age of 3, it was evident by Simone’s piano skills that she was bound to be a talented musician. Nina Simone’s childhood was charming and filled with musical genius. She began to play piano at her father’s church for some time. Nina dreamed of becoming a pioneer AfricanRead MoreThe Great Leaders Of The Civil Rights Movement1563 Words   |  7 Pagesactions is Nina Simone. She made an impact on the Civil Right Movement that not many other artist or celebrity would have done. When you think of the Civil Rights Movement the first three that come to mind of course are, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and Rosa Parks. So, when someone hears the name Nina Simone the two most common responses might be â€Å"Who’s that?† or â€Å"Oh the singer?†. But what is forgotten is how she, at such a high level, put her reputation at a risk. Nina Simone was a veryRead MoreThe Music Of The Song985 Words   |  4 PagesA repetition of an upbeat piano piece, cheerful drum beats, and laughter from the audience, the beginning of this song might lead you to believe this is a classic show tune. Nina Simone, the songwriter and performer, certainly wants you to think this song is innocuous. She goes as far as to describe this song as a ‘show tune’ in the beginning of the lyrics. I believe, at Carnegie Hall back in 1964, she focused on this aspect of the song to let the white audience’s guard down just long enough to surpriseRead MoreAnalysis Of Kanye West s Yeezus Album2386 Words   |  10 Pagesanother song called Strange Fruit sung by Nina Simone which is a very political song talking about gruesome lynchings that happened before and at the turn of the century. With help from the sample, West uses the pain of lynching and drug abuse to compare with the break ups he goes through. The instrumental of the song starts off very slow at the beginning we can hear a piano in the background that slowly begins to play. Over this soft piano sound we hear Nina Simone break through. She sets us up with anRead MoreEssay on Civil Rights, Equality and the Music of Nina Simone2399 Words   |  10 Pages Nina Simone used music to challenge, provoke, incite, and inform the masses during the period that we know as the Civil Rights Era. In the songs† Four Women†, â€Å"Young Gifted and Black†, and Mississippi God Damn†, Nina Simone musically maps a personal intersectionality as it relates to being a black American female artist. Kimberly Crenshaw defines intersectionality as an inability for black women to separate race, class and gender. Nina Simone’s music directly addresses this paradigm. Read MoreAnalysis Of Mississippi Goddam By Nina Simone And Dear Mr. President Essay1449 Words   |  6 PagesDear Mr. President The two songs I am comparing for this comparative essay are Mississippi Goddam by Nina Simone and Dear Mr. President by Alecia Beth Moore, more commonly known to the public as P!nk. Nina Simone was born in 1933, and her musical talent was first discovered when she was only three years old, when she learned how to play the piano solely by ear. In 1964 Nina Simone released Mississippi Goddam and to this day it is known to be one of her most famous protest songs. P!nkRead MoreShaping Societys Culture and Hierarchy600 Words   |  2 Pagesparty had oppressed and dehumanized the Jews by stripping away their legal rights. (Talking About Genocide-The Holocaust) In todays society, the existence of white supremacy is still evident, for example in the United States where Nina Davuluri won Miss America. Nina who was the first Indian descent to win Miss America bought a lot of controversy, as many american disapproved of her winning because she didnt represent the American Values. The Am erican Values consisted of a blonde with blue eyes