Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina, Nina Simone took to music at an early age, learning to play piano at the age of 3 and singing in her church's choir. Nina Simone studied classical piano at the Juilliard School in New York City, but left early when she ran out of money. Performing in nightclubs, she turned her interest to jazz, blues and folk music and released her first album in 1957, scoring a Top 20 hit with the track "I Loves You Porgy." In the 1960s, Simone expanded her repertory in exemplary fashion while becoming identified as a leading voice of the civil rights movement. She later lived abroad and experienced major mental health and financial issues, though she enjoyed a career resurgence in the 1980s. Simone died in France on April 21, 2003. [Read more].