Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born on February 21, 1933 in Tryon (North Carolina) and Nina Simone died on April 21, 2003 in Carry-le-Rouet (Bouches-du-Rhône). Between these two dates is the trajectory of a star whose aura still sparkles.
The African-American pianist, composer and singer has just been awarded a “best of” of 20 emblematic titles (1). The young performers take it up with fervor, as evidenced by the audacious version of Mr Bojangles by New Zealand singer Marlon Williams (2) in the film Waiting for Bojangles.
To hear Nina Simone is to discover the masterful vibration born of her talent and her anger, inseparable. The little girl, who plays the organ from the age of 5 in the Methodist church where her pastor mother officiates, confronts racism early on. At 10, she refused to play in public until her parents, dislodged from the front row by a white couple, were unable to take their place.
Simone Signoret inspires her stage name
Rejected at the Conservatory despite her virtuosity, the one who dreamed of being a classical concert performer will become the empress of a committed and sumptuous soul whose jewels she chisels. My Baby Just Cares for Me, joyous romance on the piano in 1959, launches the artist who chose his stage name out of admiration for Simone Signoret.
Feeling Good, in 1965, reached a musical and political Everest never surpassed. With its symphonic brass, its victorious modulation and its explosive finale, this anthem brandishes the banner of revolt and the emancipation of African-Americans and participates in the fight of Martin Luther King.
Mississippi Goddamn I Put a Spell on You or Wild Is the Wind and many other songs write his legend. A major performer, Nina Simone embodies the torments and hopes of mad love, equaling Jacques Brel when she resumes with her unforgettable voice. Do not leave me.