On February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, a jazz legend was born. We know her by her stage name Nina Simone; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon. Nina was born the sixth child in a non-wealthy family where both her parents were ministers and her father a handyman as well. Nina started playing the piano at the age of 3. From a very young age, she demonstrated a talent that could not be overlooked. Nina's parents, mother Mary Waymon and father John Waymon, recognized her talent well and the fact that she was able to reproduce songs by ear was remarkable. Her parents were instrumental in her learning classical piano from a young age. This will be the beginning of her musical journey and with many ups and downs, she does not let any obstacle stand in her way and continues to take the evolution of jazz music by storm (Deming). Nina studied music throughout her childhood and went on to graduate at the top of her high school class. After graduating, she received a scholarship that allowed her to study at the popular Juilliard School of Music in New York. Shortly after, Nina applied to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Nina was refused admission and knowing that she had done very well in her audition, she felt that it was racism that had taken its toll in the refusal. This did not stop her from wanting to realize her passion (Deming). It was time for Nina to find a job to support herself. So she started teaching music and also found a job playing piano at the Midtown Bar and Grill in Atlantic. City. Nina played and sang many jazz hits, and soon after, word began to spread and she gained an audience who came to see her perform regularly. Here She adopted the first name of Nina [little] Simone [French star Simone Signoret] to avoid her...... middle of paper ......el. It's hard to describe because it's not something you can analyze; To get closer to what it's about, you have to play it. And when you've got it, when you've got the audience hooked, you always know it because it's like electricity hanging in the air” (Nathan, Ward, & Seidel, 2013). She was a remarkable woman with many demonstrated talents and a major influence in the world of music in general. Works CitedDeming, M. (nd). Biography of the artist. At Nina Simone’s. Retrieved 2014 from All Music website: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nina-simone-mn0000411761/biographyNathan, D., Ward, E., & Seidel, R. (2013). Biography. At Nina Simone’s. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from Nina Simone's estate website: http://www.ninasimone.com/about/bio/Nina Simone. (2014). The Biography Channel website. Accessed February 22, 2014 from http://www.biography.com/people/nina-simone-9484532.