Nana Simopoulos was born in Baltimore. She studied jazz at Duke University, the Naropa Institute and the Guitar Institute of Los Angeles. She plays a variety of string instruments (guitar, bouzouki, sitar etc.) and her music is a blend of sounds and textures from around the world.

Her debut album "Pandora’s Blues" featuring Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins, was released in 1983. She has also collaborated and recorded with acclaimed artists such as Don Cherry, Jim Pepper, Hamid Drake, Chip Jackson and Dave Liebman and has performed at many venues and festivals around the world.