Claim: Nina Simone received an honorary degree from a conservatory.

Nina Simone -LRB- -LSB- ˈniːnə_sᵻˈmoʊn -RSB- born Eunice Kathleen Waymon ; February 21 , 1933 -- April 21 , 2003 -RRB- was an American singer , songwriter , pianist , arranger , and activist in the Civil Rights Movement . Simone employed a broad range of musical styles including classical , jazz , blues , folk , R&B , gospel , and pop .   Born in North Carolina , the sixth child of a preacher , Waymon aspired to be a concert pianist . With the help of a few supporters in her hometown of Tryon , North Carolina , she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York .   Waymon then applied for a scholarship to study at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia , where she was denied despite a well-received audition . Waymon became fully convinced this rejection had been entirely due to her race , a statement that has been a matter of controversy . Years later , two days before her death , the Curtis Institute of Music bestowed on her an honorary degree .   To make a living , Eunice Waymon changed her name to `` Nina Simone '' . The change related to her need to disguise herself from family members , having chosen to play `` the devil 's music '' or `` cocktail piano '' at a nightclub in Atlantic City . She was told in the nightclub that she would have to sing to her own accompaniment , and this effectively launched her career as a jazz vocalist .   Simone recorded more than 40 albums , mostly between 1958 , when she made her debut with Little Girl Blue , and 1974 . She had a hit in the United States in 1958 with `` I Loves You , Porgy '' .   Simone 's musical style fused gospel and pop with classical music , in particular Johann Sebastian Bach , and accompanied expressive , jazz-like singing in her contralto voice .