Year 8, Day 28

Hey guys. Today's song is Sinnerman by Nina Simone.

Photo by: Ron Kroon, Restored by: Bammesk

Just a fair warning today guys: this song a long one. So Nina Simone is the stage name of Eunice Waymon who was active from 1954 until 2002. She originally wanted to be a concert pianist, and went to Julliard for music before auditioning for the Curtis Institute of Music, although she was rejected and always maintained it was due to racism. She instead took lessons from a professor from the school, paying for it by singing and playing at a bar. In 1954 she adopted the stage name in a bid to hide from her family who accused her of playing the devil's music. In 1958 she recorded a Gershwin song, which became a Billboard hit, and she released her debt album in 1959. But she signed over the rights and lost out on a small fortune. Afterwards she went to a different label and released a live album. In 1964 with a new label, she fully addressed racial inequality, creating what has become a protest song since. It wasn't her only one, and she remained a vocal supporter of civil rights, advocating for a more violent revolution rather than the non-violent approach of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1970 after having her records boycotted by many in the industry, she moved to Barbados, after remained there when she was wanted by police in the States for unpaid taxes while protesting the Vietnam War. After that she went to Liberia, and reunited briefly with her daughter, but was abusive causing her daughter to leave. After learning this I no longer really cared about her, because no matter what hardships you've had, there is no excuse for being abusive to your kid. She lived all over, and started having problems playing shows, sometimes being too drunk to even perform, before moving to the Netherlands and being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 1991 she moved to Amsterdam, then to France in 1993 before eventually passing away in 2003. Her daughter has also gone into the industry, doing singing and acting, and even appearing on Broadway. Nina Simone has many albums and accolades that you can look into, and even an autobiography, but that's up to you to look for if you're interested.

Peace.