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Nina Simone's daughter continues her exploration of her mother's extraordinary life and career. First broadcast on Radio 2.

Nina Simone's daughter continues her exploration of her mother's extraordinary life and career - sharing her personal thoughts and providing a glimpse of the real woman behind the distinctive voice.

This series features unreleased concert tracks and contributions from some of Nina's closest friends - including her high school friend Hannah Ferguson; her niece Joyce Stroud; her close friend Verta Mae Grosvenor; concert promoter Ron Delsener; her friend and Elektra Records A and R man Michael Alago, singer Patti Smith; and her drummer for 18 years - Paul Robinson.

Nina started her musical life as Eunice Waymon, a 5-year-old child prot茅g茅, learning classical piano with the help of people in her home town. She won a place at New York's famous Juilliard School but was turned down by the elite Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. This was an incredible blow to the young Eunice Waymon, who turned to teaching piano and playing in bars to make ends meet. At this point she took the stage name Nina Simone.

She moved to New York City and signed her first record deal [not reading the small print which would cost her dearly later in her career]. New York was the place to be and Nina became closely associated with the civil rights movement, connected with both the radical black playwright Lorraine Hansberry and Malcolm X. She wrote her first protest song, Mississippi Goddamn, in 1963 - an enraged reaction to the deaths of four children in the bombing of a Sunday school in Alabama.

She also met and married Andy Stroud, who became her manager [and Simone's father]. Throughout the 60s her output was prolific and she toured constantly in the US and Europe, always highlighting the civil rights message.

First broadcast on Radio 2.

1 hour

Last on

Wed 22 Feb 2023 02:00

Music Played

  • Nina Simone

    Feeling Good

    • BLUE FOR YOU.
    • GLOBAL.
    • RADCD-84.
  • Nina Simone

    MOOD INDIGO

    • FEELING GOOD.
    • VERVE/POLYGRAM TV.
    • 522-669-2.
  • Nina Simone

    Wild Is The Wind

    • THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF COOL. THE BEST ... AND FRIENDS ALBUM IN THE WORLD.
    • VIRGIN.
    • 7243 8-48590 2 2.
  • Nina Simone

    When Malindy Sings/Swing Low...

  • Nina Simone

    HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN

    • THE NINA SIMONE STORY.
    • ASCAP.
    • SNAJ-724.
  • Nina Simone

    I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl

    • Nina Simone Sings the Blues.
    • Legacy.
    • 733-34.
  • Nina Simone

    PIRATE JENNY

    • Best of Nina Simone.
    • Philips.
    • 8228-4262.
  • Nina Simone

    I Shall Be Released

    • The Best of Nina Simone.
    • RCA.
    • NL 90376 5B.
  • Nina Simone

    Stars

    • Let it Be Me.
    • Verve.
    • 831-437 2.
  • Nina Simone

    MY FATHER

    • BALTIMORE.
    • NA.
    • NA-NA.
  • Nina Simone

    In The Evening by the moonlight

    • Nina Simone.
    • Charly.
    • CDGR-295.
  • Nina Simone

    MY BABY JUST CARES FOR ME

    • The Essential Nina Simone.
    • Metro.
    • METRCD010.
  • Nina Simone

    Let It Be Me

  • Nina Simone

    BALTIMORE

    • BALTIMORE.
    • EPIC.
    • 460730-1.
  • Nina Simone

    SINNERMAN

    • FEELING FOOD.
    • VERVE.
    • .-5227472.
  • Al 'Tootie' Heath, Jimmy Bond & Nina Simone

    Central Park Blues

    • My Baby Just Cares For Me.
    • Charly.
    • CDCharly-6.
  • Nina Simone

    A Single Woman

    • A SINGLE WOMAN.
    • ELEKTRA.
    • 8122-79999 0.
  • Nina Simone

    See-Line Woman

    • Broadway-Blues-Ballads.
    • Verve.
    • 600-602.
  • Nina Simone

    I'M GOING BACK HOME

    • Attention! Nina Simone!.
    • Fontana.
    • 6430 032.
  • SIMONE

    Music For Lovers

    • Simone on Simone.
    • Koch Records.
    • KOC-CD-4494.
  • Nina Simone

    Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter

    • That's What Friends Are For.
    • Jazzman.
    • JMANCD-008.
  • Nina Simone

    African Mailman

    • Nina Simone: The Complete 1955-1959.
    • Chant du Monde.
    • 2742047.48.
  • Nina Simone

    NE ME QUITTE PAS (IF YOU GO AWAY)

    • FEELING GOOD - THE VERY BEST OF....
    • POLYGRAM.
    • 522-6692.
  • Nina Simone

    I WISH I KNEW HOW IT WOULD FEEL TO BE FREE

    • THE VERY BEST OF NINA SIMONE SUGAR IN MY BOWL 1967-1972.
    • RCA.
    • 07863-67635 2.
  • Nina Simone

    Mississippi Goddamn

    • THE BEST OF NINA SIMONE.
    • PHILLIPS.
    • 822-8462.

Broadcasts

  • Wed 20 Feb 2013 00:00
  • Sun 27 Jul 2014 04:00
  • Wed 22 Apr 2015 01:00
  • Fri 11 Nov 2016 01:00
  • Wed 26 Sep 2018 01:00
  • Fri 5 Jul 2019 01:00
  • Thu 21 Jan 2021 03:00
  • Thu 25 Nov 2021 02:00
  • Wed 22 Feb 2023 02:00