Nina Simone would have turned 80 years old today. Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina, she changed her name to Nina Simone (“Nina” meaning “little one” and “Simone” after the actress Simone Signoret) after she began singing in bars early in her career, something her Methodist minister mother none too subtly referred to as “working in the fires of hell.” This photo I am sharing today is my favorite of Ms. Simone, a stunning shot by Pittsburgh photography icon Charles “Teenie” Harris, circa 1965.
