Nina Simone: How an Accidental Singer Became the Voice of a Movement

It was the early 1960s, and the nation was in turmoil. The Civil Rights Movement was rearing its head, and Nina Simone was angry. She wanted violence and made a call to arms. But her husband – her manager – told her to forget the guns and put her rage into her music. And that’s exactly what she did.

American musician and Civil Rights activist Nina Simone

American musician and Civil Rights activist Nina Simone (born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, 1933 – 2003) performs at the Beacon Theater, New York, New York, May 1, 1993. Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images

Simone never meant to become the voice of a movement – of a nation. No, she just wanted to be the first Black female classical pianist in America. That was her goal. In fact, she didn’t even intend to be a singer. That happened by accident. But once she started performing and writing songs about what needed to be sung about, well, there was no turning back after that. This is the story of Nina Simone, a legendary artist who had the guts to sing about issues that others simply didn’t.