Nat King Cole Biography, Photos and Posters

Nat King Cole

Biography

Born: March 17, 1917? (1919)
City and Country of Origin: Montgomery, Alabama
Music Training: sang and played piano in church from age 12
Awards: 1991 Grammy Record Of The Year, "Unforgettable" dubbed with daughter Natalie
Top Recordings: "Sweet Lorraine," "The Christmas Song," "Nature Boy," "Mona Lisa," "Unforgettable," "Too Young," "Unforgettable," "Pretend," "Answer Me, My Love," "Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup," "A Blossom Fell," "If I May," "Send for Me." "Ramblin' Rose," "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer"
Nat King Cole Biography: He was raised in Chicago, IL, and was the brother of 3 jazz musicians. He made his recording debut with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers in 1936, and left Chicago to lead the band for the revue Shuffle Along and he settled in Los Angeles when the tour ended. He formed a jazz trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince. The group specialized in mostly instrumentals.

By 1940 Nat had become more confident in his singing ability and the groups first recording resulted in the hit single "Sweet Lorraine." Even though he had become quite popular as a singer by the mid '40s, with offerings like "The Christmas Song" and "Nature Boy," he performed mostly with his trio. By the late '40s the group underwent a reshaping when Johnny Miller took over on bass and in 1947 Irving Ashby became the guitarist. After 1950 his career underwent a metamorphosis with the, Nelson Riddle arranged, number 1 hit single "Mona Lisa." It was his third number 1 hit and went gold. He, much like Perry Como, was famous for his easy laid back almost whisper like singing style. He became the first African-American to host his own television show from 1956-57, but unfortunately Nat was ahead of his time. His opportunities for attaining the level of success equatable with his talent was tempered by the racism of the day. His television show wound up being canceled for lack of sponsorship. As is often the case, amongst people of his talent and stature, he was often criticized by racists as being a trouble maker and by civil rights workers as being too uninvolved. Likewise, as a result of his cross over to the pop genre he was considered by jazz lovers to be what Bob Dylan was to lovers of folk music, a traitor.

Nat's most productive years were during the 1950s when he often turned out several hit recordings per year. While recording he also had a somewhat successful acting career, his most notable role playing W.C. Handy in the film biography. He continued to turn out hit songs into the early '60s, his last hit song being "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer," but he died prematurly from lung cancer in 1965. What most people especially in the U.S. do not realize is that he was not only a gifted singer, but especially in Europe was more known for being one of the world's finest jazz pianists. His work and his legend has survived through the years. He is undoubtedly one of the most successful recording artists of all times having turned out almost 125 charting singles. He is the father of pop singer Natalie Cole.
Died: Feb 15, 1965 in Santa Monica

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