Photo: Rene Perez/ AP
Nina Simone would have celebrated her 80th birthday today. The High Priestess of Soul has left an indelible legacy on African American history, and a lasting legacy on music’s vast landscape.
Simone’s deep, powerful vocals gave a voice to the women who were silenced outside of their own home, during a time of racism and unthinkable oppression.
To commemorate her 80th birthday, Sony Legacy Recordings honors Nina Simone as the Artist of the Month, and celebrates her iconic recordings. A music treasure, she’s influenced many of today’s artists, including Alicia Keys:
“I always loved the passion in her voice. She’s inspired me as a composer, a pianist, a singer and as a woman with a voice.”
In celebration of the incomparable, click for photos throughout Nina Simone’s career.
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