Nina Simone (born Eunice Waymon, 1933–2003) was an American singer, pianist and civil-rights-era figure known for blending jazz, blues and soul and for her intense piano-led performances.

Born Eunice Waymon; started playing piano very young; recorded her first album in 1957; prominent performer during the civil rights era; widely known by the nickname 'High Priestess of Soul'.

The reviews praise Nina Simone's singular voice and piano work, highlight key albums (Little Girl Blue, Silk & Soul, Nina Simone & Piano), and note her role in the civil-rights era. Writers emphasize intimacy, emotional intensity and the artist's troubled private life.

For:Fans of jazz, blues, soul, piano-led vocal music and listeners interested in civil-rights-era artists.

 We all do a little harm to ourselves. Eunice is a significant figure in the history of music and the fight against segregation, but she is also a woman deeply troubled.

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 Ahhh, Nina Simone, that ugly, ugly woman with a magnificent angelic voice, battered on her piano to lead us into rapture note after note.

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 The voice and the piano as the only ingredients for a work that documents a traumatic period in the life of the 'High Priestess of Soul'.

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 Eunice Waymon became Nina Simone, a persona that over the years would eclipse her birth name and enter history.

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