His father, Edward James Coles, was a Baptist minister, while his mother, Perlina Adams, was the soprano soloist and director of the choir in her husbands church. At that point of his career, he was a highly recognized singer. But while Coles studies were central to his artistic development, he became obsessed early on with jazz in general and the pianism of Earl Hines in particular. Nat King Cole. It also inspired NBC to offer him his own weekly TV series, which debuted in 1956. His mom, an amateur piano player herself, gave him piano lessons when he was as young as four years old, with "Yes, We Have No Bananas" being the first song he ever learned to play. Later, Cole was chosen by Paramount Pictures to play W.C. The trio consisted of Nat on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass. . Eddie strongly encouraged Nat to learn how to read music and become proficient in the technical side of piano playing. Booklet Volumes 1 and 2 contain 4 shellac records. Cole also appeared in many movies, his last one being Cat Ballou (1965), starring Lee Marvin. He also appeared in The Nat King Cole Story, China Gate, and The Blue Gardenia (1953). When the drummer never showed up, the quartet became a trio. According to Reel Rundown, Nat King Cole never planned to be the first Black man to host his own television program, but when he was offered the gig, he knew its significance. His stature as a popular icon was cemented during this period by hits such as "The Christmas Song" (Cole recorded the tune four times), "Nature Boy" (1948), "Mona Lisa" (1950), "Too Young" (1951), and his signature tune "Unforgettable" (1951). In August 1948, the couple moved into their new home. He also performed as a pianist on sessions with Lester Young, Red Callender, and Lionel Hampton. His last album, L-O-V-E, was recorded in early December 1964just a few days before entering the hospital for treatmentand released just prior to his death; it peaked at number four on the Billboard Albums chart in the spring of 1965. Facing death himself, Cole was also dealing with grief. @ 2023 - Recording Academy. According to UDiscover Music, Cole also had perfect pitch, making him able to pick out and identify a note on the piano in an instant. However, he was with his wife during his illness and she stayed with him until his death. His final acting role would be in Cat Ballou, starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin, which was released after Cole's death in 1965. Portuguese) in 1959, and More Cole Espaol in 1962. By the 1950s, Nat King Cole had become a household name. What he could never have done was become a Sinatra-like cultural colossus, for he lacked Sinatras larger-than-life personality. Back to home page | As told by Marianne Ruuth in her bookNat King Cole,he grew up in Chicago deeply entrenched in religious music, with a gospel choir leader for a mother and a reverend for a father. Nor have I joined an organization fighting segregation. Top performers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, Pearl Bailey, Mahalia Jackson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Tony Bennett, and Harry Belafonte, appeared for the minimum wage allowed by the union. . Those close to him, however, knew for days and were able to see him in his last moments. In the summer of 1991, Natalie and her deceased father had an unexpected hit when Natalie mixed her own voice with her father's 1961 rendition of "Unforgettable," as part of her album paying tribute to her father's music. At the same time, though, he was highly influenced by his brother Eddie, who was six years older and a big fan of the popular jazz music that their father criticized. Cole performed a posthumous "virtual" duet with his daughter, recording star Natalie Cole, for the title track of the 1991 Grammy Awardwinning album Unforgettable . Sensing its commercial possibilities, Cole rerecorded the song two months later, adding four violins and a harp, the first time he had ever sung with string accompaniment. Despite the fact that Nat King Cole is revered today as a vocal legend, he never intentionally pursued a singing career. When I Fall in Love: The One and Only Nat King Cole. With a catalog full of memorable love songs, Nat King Cole certainly had his own interesting experiences with romance. . Cole become an internationally popular recording star, making such enormous hits as Mona Lisa, Nature Boy, Too Young, Route 66, Non Dimenticar, Lazy, Crazy, Hazy Days of Summer, The Christmas Song and Ramblin Rose, among them. In 1939, he formed the King Cole Trio in Southern California and became an immensely popular recording artist for Capitol Records, helping to make the company's fortune as well as his own. Nat King Cole At The Sands (1966) - Antonio Morelli - Capitol Records SMAS-2434 Recorded live 1/14/1960 at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. How do the traditional Christmas standards perform on the chart? . Carlos Gastel, Coles manager, now started thinking of him not as a singer-pianist but as a stand-up vocalist who played piano on the side. When Capitol Records signed the Beatles to its roster, Cole knew that his days as a pop superstar were numbered. The cancellation would turn out to be the permanent end of his career. I swing the band.) But it was his recordings of ballads that made him a household name, and among the most memorable of them is the version of Ray Nobles The Very Thought of You that he cut with Gordon Jenkins, another of Sinatras preferred arrangers, in 1958. Later he filled in for his mother playing organ in the church. Nat King Cole was born Nathaniel Adams Coles (he later dropped the "s" in his surname) in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1948, Cole purchased a house in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. In a few short years, Cole dropped out of school at 15 years old to focus solely on pursuing a career in music. Moreover, his appeal, like that of Armstrong, crossed racial lines, and did so at a time when much of America was still segregated, a fact that led to his being assaulted on stage by a group of white supremacists during a concert he was giving in Birmingham in 1956. Benny would give the eulogy at Cole's funeral service a few days later, per the Desert Sun, posted at theCalifornia Digital Newspaper Collection. One of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century, Nat King Cole has given the world countless classics, from timeless love songs like "Unforgettable" and "L-O-V-E" to the holiday standard "The Christmas Song." During World War II, Wesley Prince left the group and Cole replaced him with Johnny Miller. While on a In 2007, he was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. The Nat King Cole story is a tale of two major talents, both owned by the same person. After Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole is the best remembered of the singers who dominated American popular music between the end of the big-band era and the advent of rock n roll. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. His hit song "Ramblin' Rose" jump-started a slight decline that crept up at the end of the '50s. PinkPantheress? In the 1960s, he became the first nationally known black artist to host a television show, but it was canceled after one year because a national sponsor could not be found. with Love. Legend has it that, one night, a drunk customer demanded that the group sing. Born . Copyright Songwriters Hall of Fame 2023. Sold for 32.24 USD on 22 Mar 2022 (4 bids) 78 rpm. The Weeknd? "I think it was too early," Kitt said, "to show ourselves off as intelligent people."[2]. In Cole, Nat King. Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. Nat King Cole (March 17, 1919 February 15, 1965), born Nathaniel Adams Coles, was a popular American jazz singer-songwriter and pianist. Unlike Sinatra, Cole was not a confessional performer whose interpretations reflected the dark side of his personality. Omissions? While there were some difficulties regarding the whole event the Waldorf Astoria refused to host the wedding because they were Black, and Ellington's aunt (who'd raised her) boycotted the wedding because of Cole's lower-class status the marriage would last until Cole's death in 1965 (via Harlem World Magazine). By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our cookie policy unless you have disabled them. One cosmetics representative claimed that a "negro" couldn't sell lipstick, to which Cole angrily responded, "What do they think we use? Nat "King" Cole: Soundies & Telescriptions. That year Cole released his memorable song "L-O-V-E," but at the close of 1964, the beloved entertainer also learned that he had lung cancer. They tried a couple of places, including Beverly Hills, but ultimately wanted somewhere away from the paparazzi and rowdy fans. Thanks to electronics, she dusted beautifully on the song with the great Nat King Cole himself. Volume 4 is also issued in a box set of three 45-rpm records. (As Cole himself said when asked to compare himself to Sinatra, the band swings Frank. Fortunately, it is not necessary to choose between the two Nat Coles: They were two different sides of a great popular artist, one who gave fully of himself in both capacities. By the time he worked his way from Chicago to Los Angeles, settling there permanently in 1937, his playing was already fully formed. Lost your password? Cole appeared frequently on popular variety programs hosted by Perry Como, Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan, and others. Nat's youngest brother Freddy Cole, and his daughter, Natalie Cole are also singers. Born in Alabama on March 17, 1919, Nathaniel Adams Coles (he would later drop the "s") always had a musical streak. While Cole was not the first African-American to host a network television showan honor belonging to jazz pianist and singer Hazel Scott in 1950 Cole's stature made the venture more socially significant, which Cole himself recognized. 1 spot on of the pop charts, his most successful record yet. The song and the album of the same name won seven Grammy awards in 1992. To that end, she persuaded him to move to Hancock Park, a wealthy, all-white Los Angeles neighborhood whose residents refused to accept the family (anonymous vandals burned a racial slur into their front lawn). A fourth member of the group who had participated in the plot was later arrested in connection with the act. Sell it yourself. Chalk? Singer. "I lost my baby in December. Maria Cole [1] ( ne Hawkins; August 1, 1922 - July 10, 2012) was an American jazz singer and the wife of singer Nat King Cole; mother of the singer Natalie Cole. But after some prodding from the manager who insisted since the customer was a "big spender," Cole agreed. Nat King Cole, byname of Nathaniel Adams Cole, family name originally Coles, (born March 17, 1919, Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.died February 15, 1965, Santa Monica, California), American musician hailed as one of the best and most influential pianists and small-group leaders of the swing era. As a result, the King Cole Trio disbanded in 1951, and it was as a pop singer, not a jazz instrumentalist, that Cole was known thereafter and to this day. From the start, Nat King Cole's mother supported his musical ambitions. Oxford University Press. 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