As one of the most talked-about figures, Nina Simone has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.
What was Nina Simone's Net Worth?
Nina was known for the singles "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," "Trouble in Mind," "I Put a Spell on You," "To Love Somebody," "Ain't Got No, I Got Life," "My Baby Just Cares for Me," and "Feeling Good" as well as her rendition of "I Loves You, Porgy" from the opera "Porgy and Bess." She published the autobiography "I Put a Spell on You" in 1992, and she was the subject of the 2015 documentary "What Happened, Miss Simone?" and the 2016 film "Nina." Known as the "High Priestess of Soul," Simone was posthumously inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame (2009) and the Rock and the Roll Hall of Fame (2018). Sadly, Nina passed away in April 2003 at the age of 70.
Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina. She was the daughter of Mary Kate and Rev. John Devan Waymon, and she had seven siblings. Simone began playing piano at a very early age and often performed at her church. At age 12, she performed in a classical recital, and she said that her parents were forced to move from the front row to make room for white people. Nina refused to perform until her parents were moved back to their rightful spot. John worked as a handyman and once owned a dry-cleaning business, and Mary was a Methodist minister who also worked as a maid. Simone's music teacher set up a fund to help pay for her education, making it possible for her to attend Asheville's Allen High School for Girls. After graduating as valedictorian of her class, she studied with Carl Friedberg at the Juilliard School to prepare for an audition at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music. Curtis ended up denying her application, which was especially disappointing because the family had already moved to Philadelphia in anticipation of Nina attending the school. Simone always suspected that she was rejected because of her race, but the school's staff has denied it.
Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, and civil rights activist who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of her death in 2003. Nina Simone released more than 40 albums by the mid-1970s, including "Little Girl Blue" (1959), "Forbidden Fruit" (1961), "I Put a Spell on You" (1965), "To Love Somebody" (1969), and "Black Gold" (1970).
Nina Simone owned at least two notable properties at the end of her life. She had a condominium in Los Angeles (sometimes referred to as the "Franklin Condo"), which her will specifically bequeathed to her daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly. Simone also owned a home in Carry-le-Rouet, France (near Marseille), where she lived in her final years. Her will directed that this French house be sold and the proceeds given to her brother. These two properties formed a significant part of the tangible assets of her estate.
Nina took a job as an accompanist at Arlene Smith's vocal studio, and she taught piano lessons at her home. She began performing at the Midtown Bar & Grill in Atlantic City, where the owner insisted that she sing in addition to playing the piano. She began using the stage name "Nina Simone" in 1954 because she knew her mother wouldn't approve of her performing "the devil's music." In 1958, she recorded a cover of George Gershwin's "I Loves You, Porgy," which reached #18 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot R&B Sides chart. In 1959, Simone released her debut album, "Little Girl Blue," and the albums "The Amazing Nina Simone" and "Nina Simone at Town Hall." She signed with Colpix Records after the release of "Little Girl Blue," and the label gave her creative control of her recordings. In 1964, Nina switched to Dutch Philips Records, and her first album for the label, 1964's "Nina Simone in Concert," addressed racial inequality in America with the single "Mississippi Goddam." She later referred to it as her "first civil rights song" and said that it was written "in a rush of fury, hatred and determination." In 1967, Simone left Dutch Philips for RCA Victor, and she performed the song "Backlash Blues" (written by Langston Hughes) on the album "Nina Simone Sings the Blues."
Nina Simone's net worth of $5 million in 2003 encompassed the total value of her assets, including real estate, catalog value, and personal property. In the mid-2010s, probate court filings showed that California tax authorities at that point valued the estate at $10-12 million by that point.
Ultimately, Nina Simone's financial journey is a testament to their success.
Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.
