Princess Noire. ; The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone

From the author of the acclaimed Dinah Washington biography __Queen__ comes this complete account of the triumphs and difficulties of the brilliant and high-tempered Nina Simone. Her distinctive voice and music occupy a singular place in the canon of American song. Tapping into newly unearthed material—including stories of family and career—Nadine Cohodas gives us a luminous portrait of the singer who was born Eunice Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, one of eight children in a proud black family. We see her as a prodigiously talented child who is trained in classical piano through the charitable auspices of a local white woman. We witness her devastating disappointment when she is rejected by the Curtis Institute of Music—a dream deferred that would forever shape her self-image as well as her music. Yet by 1959—now calling herself Nina Simone—she had sung New York City’s venerable Town Hall and was on her way. As we watch Simone’s exciting rise to stardom, Cohodas expertly weaves in the central factors of her life and career: her unique and provocative relationship with her audiences (she would “shush” them angrily; as a classically trained musician, she didn’t believe in cabaret chat); her involvement in and contributions to the civil rights movement; her two marriages, including one of brief family contentment with police detective Andy Stroud, with whom she had her daughter, Lisa; the alienation from the United States that drove her to live abroad. Alongside these threads runs a darker one: Nina’s increasing and sometimes baffling outbursts of rage and pain and her lifelong struggle to overcome a deep sense of personal injustice, which persisted even as she won international renown. __Princess Noire__ is a fascinating story, well told and thoroughly documented with intimate photos—a treatment that captures the passions of Nina’s life.

From the author of the acclaimed Dinah Washington biography Queen comes this complete account of the triumphs and difficulties of the brilliant and high-tempered Nina Simone. Her distinctive voice and music occupy a singular place in the canon of American song.
   
Tapping into newly unearthed material—including stories of family and career—Nadine Cohodas gives us a luminous portrait of the singer who was born Eunice Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, one of eight children in a proud black family. We see her as a prodigiously talented child who is trained in classical piano through the charitable auspices of a local white woman. We witness her devastating disappointment when she is rejected by the Curtis Institute of Music—a dream deferred that would forever shape her self-image as well as her music. Yet by 1959—now calling herself Nina Simone—she had sung New York City’s venerable Town Hall and was on her way.
 
As we watch Simone’s exciting rise to stardom, Cohodas expertly weaves in the central factors of her life and career: her unique and provocative relationship with her audiences (she would “shush” them angrily; as a classically trained musician, she didn’t believe in cabaret chat); her involvement in and contributions to the civil rights movement; her two marriages, including one of brief family contentment with police detective Andy Stroud, with whom she had her daughter, Lisa; the alienation from the United States that drove her to live abroad. Alongside these threads runs a darker one: Nina’s increasing and sometimes baffling outbursts of rage andpain and her lifelong struggle to overcome a deep sense of personal injustice, which persisted even as she won international renown.
 
Princess Noire is a fascinating story, well told and thoroughly documented with intimate photos—a treatment that captures the passions of Nina’s life.

The Washington Post - Louis Bayard

If you believe a singer's job is to sound pretty, you will have no use for Nina Simone (1933-2003). And, as this even-handed biography makes clear, she certainly would have had no use for you.

From the author of the acclaimed Dinah Washington biography Queen comes this complete account of the triumphs and difficulties of the brilliant and high-tempered Nina Simone. Her distinctive voice and music occupy a singular place in the canon of American song. Tapping into newly unearthed material--including stories of family and career--Nadine Cohodas gives us a luminous portrait of the singer who was born Eunice Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, one of eight children in a proud black family. We see her as a prodigiously talented child who is trained in classical piano through the charitable auspices of a local white woman. We witness her devastating disappointment when she is rejected by the Curtis Institute of Music--a dream deferred that would forever shape her self-image as well as her music. Yet by 1959--now calling herself Nina Simone--she had sung New York City's venerable Town Hall and was on her way. As we watch Simone's exciting rise to stardom, Cohodas expertly weaves in the central factors of her life and career: her unique and provocative relationship with her audiences (she would "shush" them angrily; as a classically trained musician, she didn't believe in cabaret chat); her involvement in and contributions to the civil rights movement; her two marriages, including one of brief family contentment with police detective Andy Stroud, with whom she had her daughter, Lisa; the alienation from the United States that drove her to live abroad. Alongside these threads runs a darker one: Nina's increasing and sometimes baffling outbursts of rage and pain and her lifelong struggle to overcome a deep sense of personal injustice, which persisted even as she won international renown. Princess Noire is a fascinating story, well told and thoroughly documented with intimate photos--a treatment that captures the passions of Nina's life.From the Hardcover edition. Called for and delivered : June 1898-February 1933 We knew she was a genius : March 1933-August 1941 Miss Mazzy : September 1941-August 1947 We have launched, where shall we anchor? : September 1947-May 1950 Prelude to a fugue : June 1950-May 1954 The arrival of Nina Simone : June 1954-June 1956 Little girl blue : July 1956-December 1958 A fast rising star : 1959 Simone-ized : 1960 You can't let them humiliate you : January 1961-December 13, 1961 Respect : December 14, 1961-December 1962 Mississippi goddam : 1963 Don't let me be misunderstood : 1964 My skin is black : 1965 Images : 1966 My only groove is moods : 1967 Black gold : 1968 To be young, gifted and black : 1969 I have become more militant : 1970 Definite vibrations of pride : 1971 This ain't no Geraldine up here : 1972 Where my soul has gone : 1973-1976 I am not of this planet : 1977-1978 Loving me is not enough : 1979-1981 Fodder on her wings : 1982-1988 Nina's back again : 1989-1992 A single woman : 1993-1999 The final curtain : 2000-2003. A complete account of the triumphs and difficulties of the brilliant and high-tempered Nina Simone, whose distinctive voice and music occupy a singular place in the canon of American song. One of eight children in a proud North Carolina black family, the prodigiously talented child was trained in classical piano through the charity of a local white woman, then devastatingly rejected by the Curtis Institute of Music--a dream deferred that would forever shape her self-image as well as her music. Central factors of her life and career include her unique and provocative relationship with her audiences, her involvement in the civil rights movement, her two marriages, and the alienation from the United States that drove her to live abroad. Alongside these threads runs a darker one: Nina's increasing and sometimes baffling outbursts of rage and pain and her lifelong struggle to overcome a deep sense of personal injustice, which persisted even as she won international renown.--From publisher description. Called for and delivered : 1900-February 1933 We knew she was a genius : March 1933-August 1941 Miss Mazzy : September 1941-August 1947 We have launched, where shall we anchor : September 1947-May 1950 Prelude to a fugue : June 1950-May 1954 The arrival of Nina Simone : June 1954-June 1956 Little girl blue : July 1956-1958 A fast rising star : 1959 Simone-ized : 1960 You can't let them humiliate you : January-December 13, 1961 Respect : December 14, 1961-1962 Mississippi goddam : 1963 Don't let me be misunderstood : 1964 My skin is black : 1965 Images : 1966 My only groove is moods : 1967 Black gold : 1968 To be young, gifted, and black : 1969 I have become more militant : 1970 Definite vibrations of pride : 1971 This ain't no Geraldine up here : 1972 Where my soul has gone : 1973-1976 I am not of this planet : 1977-1978 Loving me is not enough : 1979-1981 Fodder on her wings : 1982-1998 Nina's back again : 1989-1992 A single woman : 1993-1999 The final curtain : 2000-2003.