How Nina Simone’s grandson brought Black music back to Asbury Park

For Alexander Simone, legacy is walking down the road created by two iconic Black women while paving his own.

As the grandson of jazz and soul legend Nina Simone and the son of singer and actress Lisa Simone, the artist has left no stone unturned in exploring his gifts. He is a singer, songwriter, composer, activist and teacher.

He’s also the leader of the Whodat? Live Crew, a musical collective and mainstay of Asbury Park’s vibrant music scene for more than a decade. They have shared the stage with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder at the Sea.Hear.Now festival in 2021 and hip-hop legends Eric. B and Rakim at the Stone Pony.

While Asbury Park is typically known as the musical birthplace for figures such as Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi, Simone and the Whodat? Live Crew are determined to be on the city’s musical Mount Rushmore.

“I respect Bruce,” said Simone. “I respect Bon Jovi. I respect what they built and the love that the people have for them. I just want to find out and figure out how to tap into that iconic feeling. That’s the next step.”

Alexander Simone at Asbury Park, NJMurjani Rawls

Beginnings guided by faith

Simone’s musical journey started in Lakewood, with the sounds of gospel music in his paternal grandmother’s church. She was a pastor at her own church, and it was there that Simone learned how to play the piano and organ by ear and sang in the choir. By 14, he was already composing music and ghostwriting for a family member. By witnessing how his talent influenced those around him, Simone found his life-long mission statement.

“I just started coming into my own once I started to feel and see how my gift made other people think,“ Simone told NJ Advance Media. “Even to this day, how the music makes people feel is what I’m driven off of.”

Music has a magic that puts people in the right places at the right time. Especially when it’s been the bridge linking generations of the Simone family. Consider the story of how Simone was reunited with his mother, Lisa. At age 16, his mastery of the piano eventually led him to see his mother, who had been separated from him when he was young. She was acting in Disney’s “Aida” on Broadway in 2001.

“My grandmother was preaching somewhere, and I was playing music for her,” said Simone. “A man came up because he was impressed by the kid on the piano. I told him more about myself and that Nina was a grandmother. He mentioned he was with Lisa the other day. From there, my mother and I have been inseparable.”

A league of extraordinary musicians

Simone has created music as a solo artist but also went on to form the Whodat? Live Crew - a talented, rotating collective he calls “a league of extraordinary musicians, because you never know who it’s gonna be, but you just know they gonna be fire.

“You see five or six members right now, but it’s probably like a basketball team,” Simone said. The band’s lineup consists of Jules Drucker, Andrew Davis, Kevin Stryker, Kindra Graham, Bryen Reeves, Quint Essence, and Simone himself. “It’s probably about 12 or 15 because you’re always doing gigs,” said Simone. “A lot of times, everybody has different schedules. ”Musicians can just come and jam, have fun, rock out, iron sharpens iron type thing.”

The name “Whodat?” is born from thousands of reactions from would-be fans once they get a chance to see the band live. If you need an R&B jam, they’ve got you. A rock cover? They have the musicianship to nail that down, too.

“We got any genre covered,” said Simone, who is the band’s lead singer. “We can do over five hours of playing. We don’t need a DJ to come out with us. From originals to making up songs on the spot to fit the moment. A lot of people can’t do that.”

The west side of Asbury Park has a rich history when it comes to African-American music and culture. Springwood Avenue’s club scene once was home to performances from greats like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Fats Waller. However, the aftermath of race riots in 1970 ripped apart the thriving fabric of African-American culture within the city.

While discussing his own legacy, Simone is conscious of the city’s history. Like his lineage, he utilizes the power of music to bridge the gap between the past and the present.

“I feel as though we’ve set the standard,” said Simone. ”We kicked in the door so people could start noticing people of color from the west side of Asbury Park. There is still a divide among Asbury, and I’m happy to be out of that and usher in a new era without that divide."

Embracing the weight of legacy

People might wonder how it feels to bear the weight of such a marvelous and extensive legacy of someone of Nina Simone’s stature. Alexander doesn’t fear it. Instead, he honors it while creating his story.

“I’m invigorated by it because it’s no longer pressure,” Simone said. “I don’t shy away from it. I honor it. Before, I was Alexander Love Child, (previous stage name), but now I’m Alexander Simone.”

One example is the recently released single “We Workin‘,” a funk—and soul-infused anthem for the disenchanted who are stuck in the daily grind and deserve more. Given the current political landscape, this is precisely who Simone is speaking to.

“My grandmother’s biggest thing was that an artist’s duty is to reflect the signs of the times,” said Simone. “So that’s what I do. I always try to be reflective. And in being reflective, you become relative.”

Simone’s helpful hand is not resigned to music alone. He teaches more than 150 kids weekly through Inspire Life and the Lakehouse Music Academy in Asbury Park. Inspiring the next generation of aspiring artists is as important to him as getting fans to dance at the Stone Pony on a Saturday night.

“I feel like I’m charged with helping the next generation because that’s what’s lacking,” Simone said. “I had people who championed my gifts and talents. And that’s what the next generation is missing.”

As for the future, Simone knows Asbury Park is home. The goal in 2025 is for Asbury Park to be the springboard to spread the gospel of Whodat? far and wide. They’ve released three songs so far this year with Telegraph Hill Records, including singles ‘Fight For Love" and “What’s Love.”

“I’ve done a lot of focusing on home and building around here,” said Simone.” It’s probably not a certain brick with my name on it, but many of these bricks were built off Whodat? in the last ten years. We’re going to keep dropping singles and albums and flood the market. It’s time for Whodat? to be global.”

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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com