Cambridge Arts Theatre

This October we welcome Black is the Color of My Voice, for two special performances.

Black is the Color of My Voice is an acclaimed play by Apphia Campbell, performed by Nicholle Cherrie, inspired by the life and music of Nina Simone and features some of her great songs performed live. 

To celebrate the show and the musical legend at its heart, take a read below of a timeline of Nina's life detailing some of the important milestones in her dazzling career.

1933
On 21 February, Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina, USA.

1936
Eunice began playing piano.

1950
Eunice spent her summer preparing for an audition at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. However, her ambition was thwarted when they rejected her scholarship application, a decision she attributed to racism.
 

1958
Simone recorded a rendition of Gershwin’s “I Love You, Porgy” as part of her debut album “Little Girl Blue”. This became her only Billboard top 20 success in the United States.

1963
Simone wrote her first song addressing racial inequality in the USA, “Mississippi Goddam”’ which became an anthem during the Civil Rights Movement. The song was boycotted in some Southern states.

1965
Simone performed and spoke at Civil Rights meetings, including the Selma to Montgomery marches. Later that year, Simone embarked on her first European Tour.

1966
In January, Simone appeared in a concert in Chicago CORE (Congress for Racial Equality) and was also awarded “Women of the Year” at the Jazz at Home Club.

1968
Simone receives her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her song “Go To Hell” from her album “Silk & Soul”.

2003
Two days before her death, Simone learned she would be awarded an honorary degree by the Curtis Institute of Music, the music school that had rejected her at the beginning of her career. In April, Simone passed away peacefully in her sleep.

2018
Simone was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2019
“Mississippi Goddam” was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Black is the Color of My Voice tours to Cambridge on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October, performances both at 7.30pm.