Simone's 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 in the United States in 1958 with ' I Loves You, Porgy'. Simone recorded more than 40 albums, mostly between 1958, when she made her debut with Little Girl Blue, and 1974. She was told in the nightclub that she would have to sing to her own accompaniment, and this effectively launched her career as a jazz vocalist. The change related to her need to disguise herself from family members, having chosen to play 'the devil's music' or 'cocktail piano' at a nightclub in Atlantic City. To make a living, Eunice Waymon changed her name to 'Nina Simone'.

In 2003, just days before her death, the Curtis Institute of Music bestowed on her an honorary degree. Waymon became fully convinced this rejection had been entirely due to racial discrimination. Waymon then applied for a scholarship to study at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she was denied admission despite a well-received audition. With the help of a few supporters in her hometown of Tryon, North Carolina, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York. Simone employed a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.Д«orn in North Carolina, the sixth child of a preacher, Waymon aspired to be a concert pianist. Nina Simone ( Template:IPAc-en born Eunice Kathleen Waymon February 21, 1933В вЂ“ April 21, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and activist in the Civil Rights Movement.

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