“The High Priestess of Soul” was born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina. At a young age, she showed early signs of becoming an inspiring pianist. Her loved ones and music teacher helped her reach her dream by establishing a fund to send her to NY’s Juilliard School of Music.

In the early stages of her career, she changed her name to  "Nina Simone" to hide from family, as the music she performed was considered "devil's music". She launched her career as a jazz vocalist with a gospel influence recording many albums throughout her career. 

In the 1960s Nina Simone became a civil rights activist establishing protest songs and performing demonstrations. Her reign continued throughout the ’60s as she produced many hits such as “I Loves You, Porgy”, “My Baby Just Cares for Me”, “Mississippi Goddam”, “I Put a Spell on You”, and “Feeling Good”. However, in 1973 she left America as she traveled the world and resided in Europe and Africa as she continued to tour until her death in 2003.  

In the year of 2000, Nina Simone received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award for her contributions to music. Ironically, she received an honorary degree from the music school that denied her admission in the early years of her career, the Curtis Institute of Music. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. As well in 2019, her song "Mississippi Goddam" was entered into the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry for its cultural and historical influence.