Nina by Nina!

By Nina Vanishvili

For me, Nina Simone is one of the best musicians in history. She was a singer, composer and pianist in various styles of music, including jazz, blues and soul. Her nickname was “High Priestess of Soul”.

There is one curious point that not everybody knows: her real name was Eunice Kathleen Waymon, not Nina Simone. She started calling herself Nina Simone in 1954. Nina comes from the Spanish word “niña” and Simone from her favourite artist, Simone Signoret, whom she saw in the film Casque d'Or.

She began playing the piano when she was 3 years old and had a classical training in the Juilliard School in New York for one year. She wanted to attend the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia but she was rejected; she always thought this was because of racism.

She had to start working in bars as a singer because she and her family needed money. After that Nina debuted as a singer but at first she was not successful. She became famous with the song I Love You Porgy and then with one of my favourite songs My Baby Just Cares For Me, which became a big hit in Britain.

In 1970 Nina left the United States on account of racism and other issues, although racism was the foremost. She went to Barbados, where she did little of any significance, merely acting and singing in jazz clubs.

Two important events occurred after she left the United States. On July 24th 1998, Nina Simone was invited to Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday and on October 7th 1999, she received a prize in Dublin for her lifetime’s artistic achievements.

Her last awards were: In 2000 she received Honorary Citizenship of Atlanta, the Diamond Award for Excellence in Music from the African American Association of Music in Philadelphia and the Honourable Musketeer Award from the Compagnie des Mousquetaires d'Armagnac in France. She died in her sleep in Carry-le-Rouet in 2003.