He received music lessons from his mother and his family moved to Chicago when he was five, where his father Edward James Coles was a Baptist minister. "Book Reviews: "Unforgettable: The Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole," by Leslie Gourse." "Cole, Nat 'King'." 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). 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. This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 04:04. He made his first professional recordings in 1936 and the following year put together what would become the King Cole Trio. A fourth member of the group who had participated in the plot was later arrested in connection with the act. Naxos of America / OKeh Records AllMusic Quiz. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Incomparable Nat King Cole II. In 1958, Cole went to Havana, Cuba, to record Cole Espaol, an album sung entirely in Spanish. The resulting broken rhythms disrupted the squared-off regularity of James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, and the other Harlem-based stride pianists of the period. In 1956, Nat King Cole was a superstar, selling millions of records and touring all over the country. By the 1950s, he worked almost exclusively as a singer, with such notable arrangers as Nelson Riddle and Billy May providing lush orchestral accompaniment. As a result, he presented only singers, dancers, and instrumentalists, never comedians, and the shows lack of range, combined with the absence of national sponsorship, kept it from making money. This page was last edited on 11 November 2022, at 01:27. He would later be known as Nat King Cole, the "Unforgettable" singer out of Montgomery, Alabama, whose other hits would include "Love" and, in 1946, the instant classic "The Christmas Song." It sold over 500,000 copies, and proved that folk-based material could appeal to a wide audience. While Coles reputation went into a temporary eclipse as a result of his early deatha lifelong chain smoker, he died of lung cancer in 1965, three decades before Sinatra gave his last public performancehe was restored to prominence in 1991 when his daughter Natalie, herself a talented pop singer, released a single of Unforgettable in which his original performance of the song, recorded 40 years earlier, was electronically superimposed on her own to create a virtual duet. The record put Cole back in the limelight, and he has been there ever since. 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. Hancock Park, however, was an all-white neighborhood that had a "restrictive covenant" barring non-whites from living there unless they were servants. Missing, however, is the element of contrast that Cole supplied when he started singing with the trio. Booklet Volumes 3 and 4 contain 3 shellac records. In 1960, Nat's long-time collaborator Nelson Riddle left Capitol Records for Frank Sinatra's newly formed Reprise Records label. Victor Young, Jeri Southern with Victor Young and His Orchestra. 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. "Justin and I did the classic record 'Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.' This record is . Complete After Midnight Sessions 4 Bonus Tracks / 24Bit Digitally. The next month, he underwent surgery to remove the lung, but it was too late. Coles second wife, Maria Ellington (no relation to Duke), felt the same way. Suddenly, while he was right in the middle of a song, a group of white men who were associated with an "offshoot of the KKK" ran toward the stage and assaulted him. For "Wild Is Love" Cole was dedicated to seeing the pioneering show succeed, not for the money but to break down barriers and disprove racial prejudices. Nat King Cole recorded this for the first time in 1946 with his group The Nat King Cole Trio. 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. In December of 1964, Cole had a health crisis that forced him to cancel a show (via Los Angeles Times). Not much is publicly known about this first marriage, which came to an end about 11 years later in 1948. There were several covers of Nat Cole's original record in the 1940s. Among them were Nat Cole and his family. According to AllMusic, the two joined forces after Eddie returned from touring with Noble Sissle's band and formed their own swing sextet. 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. Please enter your email address. (This special compilation also was available as a 27 high-quality LP record set.). Born . Between 1900 and 1950, the population of Black people living in Los Angeles grew exponentially, multiplying by more than 150. Subjected to all the barriers of the Jim Crow era, Cole's unprecedented success helped advance Black Americans' role in media, and while he never considered himself an activist, he would directly challenge segregation and contribute to the Civil Rights Movement. . In 1991, Mosaic Records released The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio, an 18 compact disc set, consisting of 349 songs. NAT KING COLE 78 RPM GRAMOPHONE RECORDS X 8. Throughout the 1950s, Cole continued to rack up hit after hit, including "Smile," "Pretend," "A Blossom Fell," "If I May." His 1957 recording of "When I Fall In Love" reached number four in the United Kingdom charts in 1987. Nat King Cole, too, fell to the allure of smoking. 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. Corrections? The writers pointed out that he made a grammatical error during the last line of the bridge. In London, he performed at a 2nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Cole learned songs in languages other than English by rote. Once a week, Americans tuned in to watch as Cole and other musicians performed on television (via Indiana Public Media). 29 offers from $2.24. It was emulated by many musicians, among them Art Tatum, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Tommy Flanagan, and blues pianists Charles Brown and Ray Charles. . A Mis Amigos contains the Venezuelan hit "Ansiedad," whose lyrics Cole had learned while performing in Caracas in 1958. AllMusic. All rights reserved. This vintage song carries the timeless message to keep your chin up when life looks bleak. Anniversary Flashback: Al Martino gains first UK Number 1 single 70 years ago. There, his father became a minister; Nat's mother, Perlina, was the church organist. The racist mob never showed up, resulting in the smaller-scale attack that transpired. From the start, Nat King Cole's mother supported his musical ambitions. Facing death himself, Cole was also dealing with grief. Even when he sang bleak torch songs such as The End of a Love Affair (1962), 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. Stemming from an upper-class family, Ellington was a jazz singer who performed with notable names like Count Basie and Duke Ellington (no relation), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Nat King Cole The Christmas Song LP Red Colored 180g Vinyl. After signing with Capitol Records in 1942, Cole and his trio recorded Straighten Up and Fly Right, Sweet Lorraine and Embraceable You. All became major hits, the first of an uninterrupted series of smash recordings to follow for the next 20 years. 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. It is this final version that is the standard we hear today. In June 1946, the King Cole Trio cut the first record of Mel Torm's "The Christmas Song" (known for its first line, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire"). The Best of the Nat King Cole Trio: The Vocal Classics 1942-46. For most of the '30s and '40s he was a third of this musical act. They were married in Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and had five children: daughter Natalie was born in 1950, followed by adoption of Carol (the daughter of Maria's sister, born in 1944) and a son Nat Kelly Cole (born in 1959), who died in 1995 at 36. On February 15, 1965, Cole died at the age of 45. Initially, Cole refused, replying, "We don't sing." It also inspired NBC to offer him his own weekly TV series, which debuted in 1956. According toThe Guardian,cigarette smoking was not only "the epitome of cool and glamour," but it was also cheap and accessible. Chalk? Booklet Volumes 1 and 2 contain 4 shellac records. The oldest of the five was his daughter Natalie, who would also become a singer later in life and revitalized the popularity of some of her father's songs. Cole was also among the dozens of entertainers recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the Kennedy Inaugural gala in 1961. During the late 1930s and early 40s the trio made several instrumental recordings, as well as others that featured their harmonizing vocals. Handy in St. Louis Blues (1958). While on a By the time he contracted lung cancer, he was estranged from his wife Maria while in a relationship with actress Gunilla Hutton, best known as Nurse Goodbody of Hee Haw fame. A decade earlier, Cole's mother died, also of cancer. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. The trio consisted of Nat on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass. 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. It opens with an out-of-tempo reading of the first eight bars that is sung with hushed delicacy, after which Cole slips almost imperceptibly into a very slow but nonetheless danceable tempo. You also need to do it for the public.. He churned out song after song, including classics like "Unforgettable" and "Mona Lisa." He became a popular crooner in the 1950s, and made history when he became the first Black man to host a regular TV variety show. In Cole, Nat King. 4th Annual GRAMMY Awards. He was also present at the Democratic National Convention in 1960 to throw his support behind President John F. Kennedy. Thousands flocked to build a life on South . January 1957. According to Performing Songwriter, it was the first time that a holiday classic was introduced by a Black American, and it "opened the door for Lou Rawls, Ray Charles and many others to record their own takes on yuletide classics.". The nimble, darting interplay heard on records such as This Side Up (1940) and What Is This Thing Called Love? 10731074, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 05:16. Initially begun as a 15-minute show on Monday night, the show was expanded to a half hour in July 1957. I think I've finally got this cancer licked.". He died of lung cancer in February, 1965, when he was forty-five years old. 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. The attack began at the rear of the auditorium when three men ran down the aisles towards Cole and his band. By the 1950s, Nat King Cole emerged as a popular solo performer with numerous hits including "Mona Lisa", "Smile" and "Unforgettable". Cole grew up in Chicago, where, by age 12, he sang and played organ in the church where his father was pastor. The Nat King Cole Story [45rpm 200g Vinyl] by Nat King Cole (Vinyl, Jan-2011, 5 Discs, Analogue Productions) He died on February 15, 1965, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California and his funeral was held in Los Angeles. He was also one of the first black men to be accepted wholeheartedly by many white folks during his time, owing to his unique talent of hosting various shows. Those close to him, however, knew for days and were able to see him in his last moments. . "The Nat "King" Cole Show," Museum of Broadcast Communications, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Nat_King_Cole&oldid=1086902, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License, Vocal jazz, swing, traditional pop, jump blues. In fact, he had started out as a jazz pianist of the highest distinction, the leader of the King Cole Trio, a cocktail combo (as such small groups were known in the 30s and 40s) that featured both his singing and his playing. Booklet Volumes 3 and 4 contain 3 shellac records. He passed away in February 1965 aged 45. Singer. Cole, who was greatly disappointed, made the difficult decision to pull the plug on the program. His final days were pretty grim. New Releases. Cole praised NBC for its support and directly blamed the advertising industry. During World War II, Wesley Prince left the group and Cole replaced him with Johnny Miller. eBay Money Back Guarantee. Explore the scintillating March 2023 issue of Commentary. His hit song "Ramblin' Rose" jump-started a slight decline that crept up at the end of the '50s. In a few short years, Cole dropped out of school at 15 years old to focus solely on pursuing a career in music. Nat King Cole has a catalog full of both. His family later moved north to Chicago, where he grew up. Sponsored. NAT KING COLE Vinyl Records and CDs Nat King Cole's great piano work with his jazz trio got overshadowed by his massive vocal success in the 1950s yet each phase of his career offers up so many riches that it proves that the lines between jazz and popular music just don't matter. 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. Cole was only 17. Free delivery for many products. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. 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). This article contains a list of albums by Nat King Cole and compilations of his recordings, together with a list of his chart singles.
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