Nina Simone - was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop.
The sixth of eight children born from a poor family in Tryon, North Carolina, Simone initially aspired to be a concert pianist. With the help of a few supporters in her hometown, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She then applied for a scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where, despite a well received audition, she was denied admission,[4] which she attributed to racism. In 2003, just days before her death, the Institute awarded her an honorary degree.

When "Bittersweet: Best of Nina Simone" was released in 2000, it was extraordinary for a major label like RCA to encompass recordings of a big-time artist like Nina Simone from all the labels she recorded (Bethlehem, Colpix, Philips, and RCA). At the time, it seemed almost revolutionary for a record label to do this.

Angel of the Morning, issued in the EU by Camden Deluxe, is, for all practical purposes, a solid collection of Nina Simone's recordings for RCA, covering the years 1966-1974. These years are not critically regarded as her best -- those are usually reserved for her Colpix and Philips recordings.

Нина Симон (Nina Simone) известна как многогранностью своего таланта, полной самоотдачей и самобытностью творчества, так и сложным, противоречивым характером, который делал общение с ней очень непростым. Великолепная певица, пианистка, композитор, аранжировщица, она была настолько всеобъемлющим исполнителем, что иногда это даже мешало ее карьере - публике нелегко было принять такую разноплановость певицы.