Simone and ... Simone: The Great Nina and Daughter

Nina Simone

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Last week, we spoke with singer Simone (whose legal name is Lisa Simone Kelly) about her first album, Simone on Simone.

Her mother is the inimitable Nina Simone, a woman who traveled from the segregated South to concert halls and stages around the world, and finally left the United States in disgust over what she saw as naked racism.

Her daughter, Simone, said she was fierce "from the rooter to the tooter" -- a woman who never marched to anyone else's beat.

Simone's new album is a tribute to her mother, the legendary singer Nina Simone.

Koch Record

But her beat lives on. Her work is now remixed by hip electronica DJs and sampled by hip hop artists including Talib Kweli ("Sinnerman") and Common featuring Kanye West ("Misunderstood").

And you'll still hear the originals of plenty of her songs, from "Young Gifted and Black" to "My Baby Just Cares for Me" (which was part of a famous, languidly sensual, Chanel No. 5 advertisement).

And Nina Simone also sang a very different kind of song... "Mississippi Goddam," which she wrote to protest the tragedies of the civil rights era, including the murder of four girls in the church bombing in Birmingham.

Simone told us a bit about her mother's journey in singing "Missippi Goddamn," a portion of the interview we could not include on air. Take a listen by clicking the link above.

Of course, in addition to to Nina Simone, her daughter Simone is a talent in her own right ... as her new album reveals.

Farai Chideya

Tags: Nina Simone | Simone