Eunice Kathleen Waymon born February 21, 1933. She was the sixth of eight children born to John - an artist turned family man - and Mary Kate - who became a minister of the Church - a family poor black woman from the South. who lived in Tryon, North Carolina. His father played piano, guitar and harmonica; his mother played the piano and sang. Her siblings all played the piano and sang in the church choir, gospel groups, Glee Clubs and at social events. She started learning music naturally by watching her family. The Waymons had a pedal organ, and by the time Eunice was tall enough to climb onto the stool and sit at the keyboard, she had musical talent. She was a child prodigy. By age 6, Eunice was playing piano in church and other events where her mother preached. Her mother also worked as a housekeeper for a white lady, Mrs. Miller. She heard Eunice perform in a choir and insisted that she take proper piano lessons. Since her family could not afford lessons, Mrs. Miller would pay for Eunice to take piano lessons for a year and if she showed promise, they would have to find a way to continue the lessons. His tutor, an Englishwoman, Ms. Muriel Massinovitch, introduced him to Bach. Once she understood Bach's music, she wanted to devote her life to music. As a child, his biggest dream was to become a concert pianist. After a year of classes, Eunice showed incredible potential. Since Ms. Miller could not continue paying for her classes, Ms. Massinovitch established the Eunice Waymon Fund and raised money by involving the town of Tryon in regular recitals to showcase Eunice's talent. After graduating from high school, Eunice earned a scholarship to attend Julliard in New York for a year. After a year in ...... middle of paper ......lina. After high school, she attended the Juilliard School of Music for a year. She studied with Vladimir Sokhaloff, married twice, and had a daughter, Lisa Celeste Stroud (AKA Simone Kelly) who followed in her mother's musical footsteps. In her later years, she became a world wanderer and preferred Europe to America. His concerts ranged widely from Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New York – including Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater, Chicago and Alabama – during the racial raids; in Nigeria, Canada, London, France, Germany and the Netherlands. She toured with Bill Cosby in the late 1960s, and Richard Pryor opened for her shows in her early days. The Nina Simone Estate created the Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Memorial Project to support both the short-term and long-term educational goals of individuals on career paths who need economic assistance.