7 Nina Simone Albums Remastered, Set For 180g Vinyl Reissue
Last year, the birthplace and childhood home of Nina Simone, a three-room house along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Tryon, North Carolina, went up for sale. Though its existence wasn't exactly common knowledge, those that were keenly aware worried the landmark might suffer the same fate as the early homes of countless civil rights heroes; reduced to commemorative signage with no structure left to preserve.
According to the New York Times, four artists --Adam Pendleton, Rashid Johnson, Ellen Gallagher and Julie Mehretu -- have stepped in and purchased the home to save it from those ends, topping bidders with a $95,000 sale. Johnson reflected on the preservationist effort, stating:
“It wasn’t long after the election that this all began to happen, and I was desperate like a lot of people to be engaged, and this felt like exactly the right way."
They also invited NYT into the quarters for an intimate tour of the property, which has been documented in a 360 degree video, available for you to see down below. The home's preservation joins a bronzed statue in the city of Tryon as the only memorials to Nina Simone in her hometown.
