Perhaps her single most popular work to date, was her number one Elektra recording last year of Unforgettable, one of her fathers biggest-selling hits of all. Might Cole have undergone a similar professional revival had he not died prematurely? UK. Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery, Alabama on March 17, 1919. Continuing to market himself as an instrumentalist, Cole and his newly formed combo, including guitar, bass and drums, along with his piano, finally won some success on the club circuit, at a time when larger band groups and singers were considerably more popular than trios and quartets. Cole would form a few jazz music groups before creating the King Cole Trio. He was survived by his wife, Maria, and five children; three biological and two adopted. His career as a vocalist, he told a reporter in 1945, had been an accident, going on to explain that a trio is so limited by lack of instruments that I sort of had to sing to add to the group. He stuck at first to lively, undemanding novelty songs such as Straighten Up and Fly Right, a Cole-written tune inspired by one of his fathers sermons. In a few short years, Cole dropped out of school at 15 years old to focus solely on pursuing a career in music. In 1955, he acted as himself in a short biographical film,The Nat "King" Cole Musical Story, whichcovered his musical career and life story. "Smile" by Nat King Cole. Incredibly, Coles singing was as extraordinary as his playing. Basin Street Revue. Natalie recorded his hit "Unforgettable" and put their vocals together as a duet. Naxos of America / OKeh Records AllMusic Quiz. "Book Reviews: "Unforgettable: The Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole," by Leslie Gourse." Later, Cole was chosen by Paramount Pictures to play W.C. For over a year, the entertainer worked tirelessly on his show, even turning down a total of $500,000 in performances in order to focus on the program. In 1956, Nat King Cole became star and host of his own network television variety show on NBC-TV on which such guests as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme were spotlighted. Initially a short 15-minute program, the show's popularity soared once it was able to express its full potential with a 30-minute prime-time slot. This song would be a great choice if your husband was a positive person who took an upbeat approach to life and rarely let things get him down. His family relocated to Chicago when he was very young, and both of his parents were active church members. The program featured some of the hottest stars of the day, both Black and white, including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Count Basie, Peggy Lee, and more. [Part 1]", "Pop Chronicles Interviews #131 - Nat "King" Cole", "Study: Ad Agencies Exhibit 'Pervasive Racial Discrimination' | News", "17 Of The Most Influential Freemasons Ever", "Gale:Free Resources:Black History:Biographies: Nat King Cole", "L.A.'s Ugly Jim Crow History: Nat King Cole's Dog Poisoned in Hancock Park", "Nat 'King' Cole attacked on stage archive, 12 April 1956", "It's All Right to Still Like Ike: History: Once Painted as a 'Distanced' President, Dwight Eisenhower Now is Heralded for his Strong Sense of Service", "Nat King Cole | Songwriters Hall of Fame", "Special Awards Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame", Nat "King" Cole article in the Encyclopedia of Alabama, All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio, You're Lookin' at Me (A Collection of Nat King Cole Songs), The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You), Put 'em in a Box, Tie 'em with a Ribbon, and Throw 'em in the Deep Blue Sea, Caroling, Caroling: Christmas with Natalie Cole, Unforgettable A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole, Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nat_King_Cole&oldid=1139844406, 20th-century African-American male singers, African-American television personalities, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Racially motivated violence against African Americans, Spanish-language singers of the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Have one to sell? 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. Friedwald, Will (2006). Nat King Cole. Album of the Year (Other Than Classical) For "The Nat "King" Cole Story" 1961 Nominee Grammy: Album of the Year. Their life there was riddled with threats and harassment, including someone sticking a sign in their yard that said "N*****Heaven," a shot being fired into their home, firecrackers being placed in rose bushes, and their dog being poisoned. A heavy smoker, Cole died of lung cancer at age 45. Oxford Music Online. Settling in California, the Coles had five children and made their home in Hancock Park in greater Los Angeles. Cole was hired as the pianist for a jazz quartet that would play at the Swanee Inn nearHollywood, as told by uDiscover Music. Be the first to find out about GRAMMY nominees, winners, important news, and events, How To Watch The 2023 GRAMMYs & Live Red Carpet, ARTIST/RECORD LABEL/MEDIA REGISTRATION (OEP). Cole performed a posthumous "virtual" duet with his daughter, recording star Natalie Cole, for the title track of the 1991 Grammy Awardwinning album Unforgettable . 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." The King Cole Trio 78rpm Single 10-inch Capitol Records #311 The Christmas Song. Natalie, of course, has followed in her fathers difficult-to-fill footsteps as a highly successful recording artist in her own right. Liner notes. The show fell victim to the bigotry of the times, however, and was canceled after one season; few sponsors were willing to be associated with a Black entertainer. Completed in 1956, it was the world's first circular office building and became known as "the house that Nat built.". In his words: You need to [change] for youto keep growing. Unlike Sinatra, Cole was not a confessional performer whose interpretations reflected the dark side of his personality. Here's a look into the untold truth of Nat King Cole. While on a It also inspired NBC to offer him his own weekly TV series, which debuted in 1956. For most of the '30s and '40s he was a third of this musical act. Louis Blues. During the early 60s, Cole also travelled extensively, doing highly successful concert tours of Latin America, Japan, the European Continent and England. His hit song "Ramblin' Rose" jump-started a slight decline that crept up at the end of the '50s. 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. . New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article They tried a couple of places, including Beverly Hills, but ultimately wanted somewhere away from the paparazzi and rowdy fans. Since many radio stations in the US adopt a format change to Christmas music each December, many holiday hits have an annual spike in popularity during the last few weeks of the year and are retired once the season is over. 3, 1993., pp. Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association, vol. And yet, many of his With a catalog full of memorable love songs, Nat King Cole certainly had his own interesting experiences with romance. Cole was born in Montgomery, Alabama. The first cover of "The Christmas Song" was performed by pop tenor and bandleader Eddy Howard on Majestic. The King Cole Trio signed with the fledgling Capitol Records in 1943 and Cole stayed with the recording company for the rest of his career. He died on February 15, 1965, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California and his funeral was held in Los Angeles. Something went wrong. Cole hit a lull in her career in the early 1980s due to her struggle with drug addiction, subsequently parting ways with Capitol Records. His birth date was on Saint Patrick's Day in 1919. In London, he performed at a In 1956, Nat King Cole was a superstar, selling millions of records and touring all over the country. It is tragically ironic that a talented singer would partake in an activity that damages one's lungs and vocals. Jazz singer Nat King Cole was best known for songs like "The Christmas Song" and "Ramblin' Rose" (via Billboard). Unfortunately, from the beginning,The Nat King Cole Show always struggled with one thing: sponsors. Audio CD. Thanks to electronics, she dusted beautifully on the song with the great Nat King Cole himself. When the drummer never showed up, the quartet became a trio. Get notified of exciting GRAMMY Award news and upcoming events! 4th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Nathaniel Adams Coles (he changed his last name to . All that remained was for Cole to fully realize his potential as a vocalistsomething that happened sooner than anyone, even Mercer, could possibly have expected. Sell it yourself. PinkPantheress? Chalk? . It is this final version that is the standard we hear today. ", Singer and actress Eartha Kitt, one of the program's guest stars, later reflected that Cole's sophisticated image, elegance, and interaction with white performers as equals "was dangerous" in an era when blacks appearing on television regularly were only in comic or subservient roles. Get notified of exciting GRAMMY Award news and upcoming events! Born into Bostons black bourgeoisie, she was similarly determined to put an upper-middle-class veneer on her new husband, who in 1946 still spoke and sang with a noticeable touch of the Southern accent he had acquired from his parents. Featured New Releases . Active. Coles popularity allowed him to become the first African American to host a network variety program, The Nat King Cole Show, which debuted on NBC television in 1956. Cole also appeared in many movies, his last one being Cat Ballou (1965), starring Lee Marvin. His father was a preacher in the Baptist church. Yet despite this and other close encounters with the evils of racism, Cole remained outwardly unfazed and his white fans staunchly loyal. As if in recognition of the fact, his health began to deteriorate in the fall of 1964. Cole learned songs in languages other than English by rote. He even left the hospital to see his children one last time in a brief car ride home with his wife. Cole's first mainstream vocal hit was his 1943 recording of one of his compositions, "Straighten Up and Fly Right," based on a black folk tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon. Only one person other than Cole's wife would get to visit Cole before he died, and that was comedian Jack Benny. . New (and updated) Christmas albums for 2021, Festive favourites that could reach the Top 40 for the first time this Christmas, NAT 'KING' COLE AND THE GEORGE SHEARING QUINTET, Miley? His hits of the early 60sRamblin Rose, Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer, and L-O-V-Eindicate that he was moving even farther away from his jazz roots and concentrating almost exclusively on mainstream pop. Born on March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama, Cole's first introduction to music was in the church. Cole was considered a leading jazz pianist, appearing, for example, in the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts (credited on the Mercury Record labels as "Shorty Nadine," apparently derived from the name of his wife at the time). His pop hits were collaborations with well-known arrangers and conductors of the day, including Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Ralph Carmichael. 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