Atlantic City, NJ (Feb. 14, 2023) – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City has announced a tribute to the late Nina Simone to celebrate Black History Month in Atlantic City., N.J. The renowned singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist began her career in Atlantic City and went on to achieve global recognition and win the hearts of millions of fans.

 

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is presenting the tribute to Simone in partnership with Ralph Hunter, Sr., president and founder of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey.  Mr. Hunter will also be presenting a portion of a new museum exhibit called "The Northside.” The event, for invited guests only, will take place on the occasion of her 90th birthday, at noon Tuesday, Feb. 21st in the Backstage Café of the Hard Rock.

 

Hard Rock Atlantic City President George Goldhoff, said, “We are truly appreciative of Mr. Hunter’s dedication to our community.  Through his museum, he has worked to amplify the voices of African American artists, like Nina Simone, who have had a tremendous impact on our culture, especially in Atlantic City.”

 

Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, N.C., Simone attended high school in Asheville, N.C. and then studied at Julliard in New York City.  After her family relocated to Philadelphia, she taught music lessons in her home and began her professional career in the mid-1950s at the Midtown Bar and Grill on Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City playing piano as Nina Simone.

 

Simone went on to record more than 40 albums between 1958 and 1974.  Her music covered a range of styles that included classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop.  She received two honorary degrees in music and the humanities from Malcolm X. College in Chicago and Amherst College in Amherst, Mass.  She died almost 20 years ago at the age of 70 in April, 2003. She was recognized for her remarkable career with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, and inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

 

In addition to the tribute to musical superstar Nina Simone, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is offering a Memorabilia Tour of legendary African American musical artists.  Highlights include pieces of memorabilia from Prince, Whitney Houston, Clarence Clemons, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and more.  The collection is part of the world’s largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia numbering more than 86,000 pieces and owned by Hard Rock International.