Simone

By: Robert Sokol
Special to The Examiner
05/04/09 10:20 PM

Carrying on: Simone puts her own touches on her mother’s classic tunes.

Derived from the Hebrew Simeon, meaning one who hears, the name Simone evokes a softly European aura. 

While she might gladly accept the appellation of chanteuse, Simone is all-American and an accomplished stage actress and vocalist. She is also the daughter of noted singer Nina Simone, whose musical legacy now rests in her daughter’s care.

Though following in her mother’s professional footsteps, Simone has definitely carved her own path. She was last seen in the Bay Area during the national tour of Elton John’s “Aida,” one of many theatrical roles she has undertaken.

“My daughter RéAnna was 2 then. She’s going to be 10 next month!” she says, adding. “Everything is gauged by my daughter’s age now!”

Simone found theater to be an unexpected training ground. “It was not part of my [career] plan, but it has made it possible to do what I am doing now.”

When Simone was still called Lisa Stroud, she studied civil engineering and by the time she decommissioned as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force she had set her career sights on international law. While living in Germany, her first experience publicly singing a song closely associated with her famous mother led her to embrace performing as a new calling.

Warm and elegantly plain-spoken, Simone is pragmatic regarding the preconceptions held about second-generation entertainers. “I’ve read comments people have made about why I have my mother’s name. All I can say is that I chose it to honor her.”

Nina Simone died in 2003. Last year saw the release of “Simone on Simone,” in which daughter paid tribute to Mommy, as Simone calls her, putting a personal touch on classic Nina tracks.

Simone does not feel the burden of legacy that sometime afflicts the children of the famous. “I have a very strong sense of self and of my relationship with my mother. I’m also confident in my abilities, in my talent, and have goals for myself. If this didn’t bring me joy, I wouldn’t be doing it.”

She had actually planned to pay public tribute to her mother while she was still alive, something the elder Simone demurred at the time. “We need to let our great talents, our great leaders know how much they are loved and appreciated while they are still with us,” she says. “I know Mommy’s grinning now. I think she’s very proud that her music and her message are being carried on.”

IF YOU GO

Simone: Tribute of Love

Where: Lincoln Theatre, 100 California Drive, Yountville

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Tickets: $35 to $60