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Nat King Cole

Cole has a rare blend of technical musical knowledge and sheer performing artistry topped off with an abundance of showmanship. In the 23 years that he recorded with Capitol Records, he turned out hit after amazing hit - nearly 700 songs - all the while managing to remain a gentle, tolerant and gracious human being.

Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery, Alabama on March 17, 1919. He was the son of Baptist minister, Edward James Coles, and mother, Perlina Adams, who sang soprano and directed the choir in her husband's church. Cole grew up in Chicago, met and married a girl in New York; they had five children and lived in Hancock Park in Los Angeles.

He had a distinctive voice, which has been compared to the quality of velvet, a pussy willow, a calm evening breeze, a still summer morning and a soft snow fall. In the case of Nat King Cole, who dropped an "s" off his last name and put a nickname in the middle, the lyricism is merited.

The first sign that Cole was destined for a musical life was at age four, when he was able to pick out a fairly good two-handed rendition of "Yes, We Have No Bananas." He later played the organ in his father's church. In high school he organized a 14-piece band, with himself as pianist and leader.

In 1937, after finishing high school, Cole joined a road company of the revue, "Shuffle Along." The show broke up a few months later in Long Beach, California, when a sticky-fingered member of the troop made off with the show's $800 treasury. He also wrote a song called "Straighten Up and Fly Right," which he sold for $50.

Cole spent the next period looking for work and not having much luck. Finally a night club manager offered him $75 per week for an instrumental quartet. He hired a guitarist, bass fiddle player and a drummer. On opening night the drummer didn't show up but the manager took trio and didn't cut the price.

Even though instrumental trios were not highly popular in those days, the King Cole Trio developed a large and faithful following. With Cole on the piano and later, vocals, Oscar Moore on guitar and Johnny Miller on bass, the trio eventually played the best clubs in the country and had their own radio show. They eventually won awards from every music publication in the U.S., and their jazz records are now treasured collectors' items.

A new career was inadvertently created for Cole when a tipsy customer at a small Hollywood bistro insisted on hearing him sing "Sweet Lorraine." To quiet the drunk, he sang the tune and thus launched his legendary singing career. In 1942, Cole became one of the first artists to join Capitol Records, then a fledgling company. With his King Cole Trio, he recorded such popular songs as "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "Sweet Lorraine" and "Embraceable You." For the remainder of this life, Cole always sang with the trio even when he began to sing with an orchestra.

"Capitol and I felt that a big band behind me would sell more records," said Cole. 'Nature Boy' was the first of these and it proved we were right. "He never regretted the decision."

Cole became one of the world's leading record-sellers. It is not correct to say that every Nat King Cole recording was a hit. There was one, in 1953, that was a decided bust. But, as far as anyone at Capitol can recall, that was the only one to reach flop status. From the time he recorded one of his very first discs, "Straighten Up and Fly Right," through "Mona Lisa," "Too Young," "Route 66," "Non Dimenticar," "Rambling Rose," and countless others, Cole probably had more hit records than any other artist of his day, including the number- one-selling holiday recording of all time, The Christmas Song.

Cole's consistent ability to make best-selling records prompted one record columnist to remark that Nat's recordings were "practically legal tender."

In 1956, Cole had his own network television show on NBC- TV. The "Nat King Cole Show" attracted a wide audience and celebrity guests like Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme. It could not, however, attract national advertisers willing to back a show hosted by a black. Rather than submit to an airtime change, Cole abandoned the show after 64 weeks. In December 1957, Cole telecast his last show. It was a bitter disappointment. He put it best when he explained his TV demise, "Madison Avenue," he said, "is afraid of the dark."

Throughout Cole's career there was a woman who supported him with love and enthusiasm. His wife, the former Maria Ellington, was a vocalist in Duke Ellington's (no relation) band. She met Cole in 1947 when they were both performing at the Club Zanzibar in New York, and then ten months later they were married. They had five children - Carole, Natalie, Kelly and twins, Timolin and Casey.

When Nat King Cole died of lung cancer on February 15, 1965, he was only 45. It was a loss felt all over the world.

"Nat was a very humble man." Maria said after the death of her husband. "I don't think he ever realized what a great international talent he had become."

He made us music millionaires while he lived, and he left a musical legacy to generations to come. All over the world today, his songs are played and as long as those sounds continue, Nat King Cole will live.

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Where There's No Will, There's Still a Way

by Patrick Burnette
May 27, 2021

The Bastards had hoped to host author Will Friedwald this episode to discuss his book on Nat King Cole, but like a ramblin' rose his path wandered from ours and we ended up high and lonesome, talking Nat's vocal albums on Capital by ourselves. Nat was one of the great Swing era piano players and led one of the first influential jazz piano trios, but we focus on the second half of his too-short career as mainstream vocalist and vowel-wrangler ...

Album Review

Nat King Cole: Straighten Up and Fly Right – The Best of Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943)

Read "Straighten Up and Fly Right – The Best of Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943)" reviewed by Mark Sullivan

by Mark Sullivan
July 1, 2020

Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) (Resonance Records, 2019) is a treasury of Nat King" Cole's earliest recorded work, documenting his mastery of jazz piano and vocals long before he became a popular singing star. But at seven CDs or 10 LPs, it's a lot of music, perhaps too much for a casual or curious fan. This single disc “best of" compilation offers a generous selection of 21 tracks, most of them featuring Cole's famous trio with guitarist Oscar ...

Album Review

Nat King Cole: Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943)

Read "Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943)" reviewed by Mark Sullivan

by Mark Sullivan
November 9, 2019

Before pianist/vocalist Nat King Cole had a career as a pop crooner--his many hits included “All for You," “The Christmas Song," “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66," “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons," “Nature Boy" and “Mona Lisa" (the No. 1 song in 1950)--he led a successful jazz trio which featured both his piano playing and vocals. This voluminous collection aims to document all of his early work. There are many surprises for those who only know the pop hits, ...

Album Review

Nat "King" Cole: Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943)

Read "Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943)" reviewed by Victor L. Schermer

by Victor L. Schermer
November 7, 2019

While he achieved fame and fortune as a pops crooner of the 1950s-60s, Nat King" Cole firmly occupies a place in jazz history. Unlike Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney and others who began their careers as singers, Cole started out as a pianist, composer/arranger, and band leader, working small clubs in Chicago, soon adding vocals at the suggestion of a fan. From the late 1930s through 1943, when he received his legendary contract as a singer with the newly ...

Radio & Podcasts

Wild Is Love - Celebrating Nat King Cole's Centennial

by Mary Foster Conklin
April 7, 2019

We take a brief detour in the middle of Women's History Month to celebrate the centennial of Nat King" Cole in the second hour and play some of the songs he was famous for. The show also includes new releases from guitarist/vocalists Camila Meza, John Pizzarelli, and trumpeter Samantha Boshnack with more birthday shout outs to organist Shirley Scott, vocalists Mark Murphy, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Judy Niemack and pianist Billy Childs, among others. Playlist Shirley Scott ...

Profile

Unforgettable: Nat King Cole at 100

by Peter Coclanis
March 17, 2019

Few cities in the U.S. have musical traditions so strong and varied as Chicago's. Although cases can be made for other cities--jny: New Orleans, jny: Detroit, New York, jny: Philadelphia, jny: Los Angeles, and jny: Memphis come to mind--in no other city is the range and depth of musical expression so strong as in Chi-Town. Other cities may dominate certain genres and discrete niches, but in no other burg does the musical tradition run so deeply in genres ranging from ...

Radio & Podcasts

Nat@100, Withers ‘Just Because’, Newk & More

by Marc Cohn
February 15, 2019

We get a jump on the Nat 'King' Cole centennial [coming in March] with his classic trio, along with two piano players influenced by Mr. Cole. Our Sonny Rollins celebration continues with a Miles date with Bird on tenor too. Upfront, there's 21st century sounds, as well as jazzed-up Bill Withers tunes... just because, well, it's a lovely day. Make yours one and give a listen; you will enjoy the show. Playlist Harold Mabern “A Few Miles ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Nat King Cole

Source: Michael Ricci
March 17, 2023

All About Jazz is celebrating Nat King Cole's birthday today!

Nat King Cole was one of the most popular singers ever to hit the American charts. A brilliant recording and concert artist during the 40's, 50's and 60's, he attracted millions of fans around the world with a sensitive and caressing singing voice that was unmistakable. Cole has a rare blend of technical musical knowledge and sheer performing artistry topped off with an abundance of showmanship. In the 23 years ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Nat King Cole

Source: Michael Ricci
March 17, 2022

All About Jazz is celebrating Nat King Cole's birthday today!

Video / DVD

Nat King Cole at 102

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 19, 2021

Yesterday was the late Nat King Cole's birth date. An impossibly talented pianist and vocalist who not only re-invented romantic pop singing in the album era but also helped pave the way for desegregation. Here are 10 of my favorite Cole vocal recordings and a bonus: Here's When Your Love Has Gone, with an arrangement by Billy May... Here's Chester Conn and Sammy Gallop's Night Lights, with an arrangement by Nelson Riddle... Here's Hub Atwood and Mel Leven's Tell Me ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Nat King Cole

Source: Michael Ricci
March 17, 2021

All About Jazz is celebrating Nat King Cole's birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Nat "King" Cole

Source: Michael Ricci
March 17, 2020

All About Jazz is celebrating Nat “King" Cole's birthday today!

Recording

Nat King Cole: Hittin' the Ramp

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 10, 2019

In the years before World War II, musicians didn't get near a recording studio unless they could produce perfect results. Three major companies dominated the record industry then—Columbia, RCA and Decca—and they weren't big on wasting time or money. Errors were costly in the pre-tape era. Music then was recorded onto lacquer discs before metal impressions were made and then plunged into chemical baths to solidify the sound. Retakes were labor-intensive. What's more, you didn't last long as a recording ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Nat "King" Cole

Source: Michael Ricci
March 17, 2019

All About Jazz is celebrating Nat “King" Cole's birthday today!

Nat King Cole was one of the most popular singers ever to hit the American charts. A brilliant recording and concert artist during the 40\'s, 50\'s and 60\'s, he attracted millions of fans around the world with a sensitive and caressing singing voice that was unmistakable. Cole has a rare blend of technical musical knowledge and sheer performing artistry topped off with an abundance of showmanship... Read more.

Place our ...
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Video / DVD

Nat King Cole: Top 10 Albums

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 13, 2019

The 100th anniversary of Nat King Cole's birth is on March 17. Cole was one of America's most remarkable entertainers. His first jazz-pop career was with his celebrated trio in the 78-era of the 1940s. Then he triumphed in the 10-inch era from 1950 to 1954 with hits that included Unforgettable and Penthouse Serenade. Then came the 12-inch LP era, starting in 1955 and ending with his death in 1965. Many of these albums featured Cole illustrated in suburban settings ...
read more