Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born a prodigy. Growing up as a young aspiring concert pianist, her talent was clear from birth onward. Even her mother recognized the talent at just six months old—her ...

Ironically, the Beatles’ “Revolution” isn’t about a revolution — or is it? At different points, the lyrics promote and criticize the idea of a revolution. Above all, the track is ambivalent — while ...

Nina Simone was an artist and activist of singular vision and voice. For decades, rappers have used her tone and musicianship as sonic reference points for black struggle and livelihood. Salamishah ...

John Lennon was listening to a Nina Simone song before co-writing The Beatles’ “Michelle.” John said The Beatles’ “Michelle” would have been different if it was written solely by Paul McCartney.

She could move from a whisper to a roar within a phrase, and her repertoire covered jazz standards, protest songs, blues and pop. Listen to these 11 favorites. Credit...Illustration by Dante Zaballa ...

I remember how it ended. A bespectacled, lanky, light-skinned sister sporting two braided pigtails stepped up to the mic. She was rocking garden-green pants and a yellow spaghetti-strap tank top, and ...

It was a bloody Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama on September 15, 1963 that inspired the singer and pianist Nina Simone’s famous protest song, “Mississippi Goddam ...