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

Nina Simone's daughter Simone explores an 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.
In part one, we hear about Nina's musical beginnings 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 01:00

Music Played

  • Nina Simone

    Feeling Good

    • FEELING GOOD THE VERY BEST OF NINA SIMONE.
    • VERVE/POLYGRAM TV.
    • 522-669-2.
  • Nina Simone

    I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

    • I Put a Spell on You.
    • Verve.
    • 600-502.
  • Nina Simone

    LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME

    • CD SINGLE.
    • CHARLY.
    • CD S-1.
  • Nina Simone

    Take Me To The Water

    • Gold.
    • Universal.
    • 980-8087.
  • Nina Simone

    Good Bait

    • Essential Early Recordings.
    • Proper Records.
    • PRMCD-6099.
  • Nina Simone

    LITTLE GIRL BLUE

    • FOR LOVERS.
    • VERVE.
    • B000-556602.
  • Nina Simone

    MY BABY JUST CARES FOR ME

    • THE VERY BEST OF.
    • SONY BMG.
    • 828768-05532.
  • Nina Simone

    I LOVES YOU PORGY

    • FINEST HOUR.
    • VERVE.
    • 543-604-2.
  • Nina Simone

    Trouble In Mind

    • Nina Simone At Newport, At The Village Gate ? And Elsewhere?.
    • Westside.
    • WESD-210.
  • Nina Simone

    WORK SONG

    • THE BEST OF NINA SIMONE.
    • EMI.
    • CDP-7985842.
  • Nina Simone

    MISSISSIPPI GODDAM

    • IN CONCERT - I PUT A SPELL ON YOU.
    • MERCURY.
    • 846-543-2.
  • Nina Simone

    Four Women

    • The Best of Nina Simone.
    • Crimson.
    • GBCQV0398197.
  • Nina Simone

    African Mailman

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

    I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

    • A LITTLE BLUES IN YOUR SOUL.
    • WARNER BROS.
    • 9548-362232.
  • Nina Simone

    DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD

    • NINA SIMONE GOLD.
    • UNIVERSAL CLASSICS & JAZZ.
    • 9808-087.
  • Nina Simone

    Young, Gifted and Black

    • THE ESSENTIAL NINA SIMONE.
    • TAMLA.
    • 5420-1.
  • Nina Simone

    BACKLASH BLUES

    • THE BLUES.
    • NOVUS.
    • ND-83 101.
  • SIMONE

    Music For Lovers

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

    Why? (The King of Love Is Dead)

    • Nina Simone - The Greatest Hits.
    • BMG.
    • BMG-82876527622.
  • Nina Simone

    AIN'T GOT NO

    • The Very Best of Nina Simone.
    • RCA.
    • 8287-6805532.
  • Al 'Tootie' Heath, Jimmy Bond & Nina Simone

    Central Park Blues

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

    DON'T SMOKE IN BED

    • NINA SIMONE.
    • CHARLY.
    • CDGR-295.
  • Nina Simone

    See-Line Woman

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

    HERE COMES THE SUN

    • Nina Somone Greatest hits.
    • BMG UK Ltd.
    • LC-00316.
  • Nina Simone

    Feeling Good

    • FEELING GOOD THE VERY BEST OF NINA SIMONE.
    • VERVE/POLYGRAM TV.
    • 522-669-2.

Broadcasts

  • Tue 19 Feb 2013 00:00
  • Sat 26 Jul 2014 04:00
  • Tue 21 Apr 2015 01:00
  • Thu 10 Nov 2016 01:00
  • Tue 25 Sep 2018 01:00
  • Thu 4 Jul 2019 01:00
  • Wed 20 Jan 2021 03:00
  • Thu 25 Nov 2021 01:00
  • Wed 22 Feb 2023 01:00