Nina Simone, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music was influenced by classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop.
Her father, John Divine Waymon, had a barbershop, a dry cleaner, and a nightclub, and her mother, Mary Kate Irvin, was a Methodist preacher. The sixth of eight children in a destitute household, 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”.
She demonstrated her talent for the piano at her local church. Her first classical performance was when she was 12 years old. Simone later reported that her parents, who had taken seats in the first row, were forced to move to the back of the hall during the performance to make room for white people.
What did Nina Simone suffer from?
As Light points out, Simone’s progressively debilitating mental condition probably contributed to her alienation. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Though Simone is circumspect about her mental instability, she does recall her first major breakdown during a tour with Bill Cosby in 1967.
