New Releases. Nat King Cole One of the key jazz voices of the 20th Century, Nat King Cole picked up fourteen UK Top 10 singles while his first album Love Is The Thing reached Number 1 in 1957. UK. With a catalog full of memorable love songs, Nat King Cole certainly had his own interesting experiences with romance. When singing "To see if reindeer really know how to fly," he mistakenly sang "reindeers." They tried a couple of places, including Beverly Hills, but ultimately wanted somewhere away from the paparazzi and rowdy fans. With Cole on the piano, Oscar Moore on the guitar, and Wesley Prince on string bass, the three became known as the famous King Cole Trio. Explore the scintillating March 2023 issue of Commentary. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. Those close to him, however, knew for days and were able to see him in his last moments. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Nat King Cole - Swings Spirituals - Used Vinyl Record lp - E34A at the best online prices at eBay! Reportedly, the all-white audience begged Cole to continue with the show, but he fervently refused and flew to Chicago after canceling his remaining three performances in the South. 1 spot on of the pop charts, his most successful record yet. Cole attained his greatest commercial success, however, as a vocalist specializing in warm ballads and light swing. In June 1946, the King Cole Trio cut the first record of Mel Torms The Christmas Song (known for its first line, Chestnuts roasting on an open fire). 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." The female solo artists with the most Number 1 albums, Miley Cyrus reigns at Number 1 for a sixth consecutive week with Flowers, NAT 'KING' COLE SINGS AND THE GEORGE SHEARING QUINTET PLAYS. Cole Espanol: Greatest Hits by Nat King Cole (Record, 2018) (5) $18.48 New. 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. It's rare for songs to withstand the test of time and become classics. Might Cole have undergone a similar professional revival had he not died prematurely? 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. 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. Although Nat would never be considered a rocker, the song can be seen as anticipating the first rock and roll records. Despite the efforts of NBC, The Nat King Cole Show ultimately failed due to a lack of national sponsorship. Free delivery for many products. 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. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, cut his last records on December 3, and died 10 weeks later at the age of 45, by all accounts a disappointed man. Victor Young, Jeri Southern with Victor Young and His Orchestra. They were the big act on Columbia Records, who had them re-record the song with a string section - the first time the trio used strings on a record. Grove Music Online. Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery, Alabama on March 17, 1919. Chiefly known today as a performer of romantic ballads, he had a dark, grainy baritone voice with which he sang in a style at once intimate and unmannered. Once a week, Americans tuned in to watch as Cole and other musicians performed on television (via Indiana Public Media). Moving to the west coast, Cole and three other musicians formed the "King Cole Swingers" in Long Beach and played in a number of local bars before getting a job on the Long Beach Pike for $90.00 per week. A wholly mainstream singer and entertainer, Cole was eventually offered his own TV show, which he very much wanted. His daughter Natalie was also a popular singer who achieved her greatest chart success in 1991 with Unforgettable, an electronically created duet with her late father. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. Instead, his style was quiet, understated, and arrestingly direct, as if he were sitting across from you, telling a story about a mutual friend. While this shift to pop music led some jazz critics and fans to accuse Cole of selling out, he never totally abandoned his jazz roots; as late as 1956, he recorded an all-jazz album, After Midnight. Bill Dobbins and Richard Wang. Cole first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist, then switched his emphasis to singing, becoming one of the most popular and best-known vocalists of all time. Born Nathaniel Adams Coles on March 17, 1919 (although 1916 and 1917 have also been cited), in Montgomery, Alabama, Cole was born into a family with a . After 14 frustrating months, Cole called it quits, crisply telling a newspaper columnist that Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.. eBay Money Back Guarantee. Nat King Cole, too, fell to the allure of smoking. In 1958, Cole went to Havana, Cuba, to record Cole Espaol, an album sung entirely in Spanish. 11 offers from $53.29. It is tragically ironic that a talented singer would partake in an activity that damages one's lungs and vocals. Released in 1958, St. Louis Blues, in which Cole played the legendary blues musician W.C. Cole agreed, both because he was an ambitious man who hungered for wider popularity and because he felt that he had exhausted the creative and commercial possibilities of the trio, with which he had been working for nearly a decade. 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, Cole was chosen by Paramount Pictures to play W.C. It also inspired NBC to offer him his own weekly TV series, which debuted in 1956. Its tune can also serve as a reminder that life goes on, even in . He and his first wife, Nadine Robinson,. The trio consisted of Nat on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass. WhileThe Nat King Cole Show was a significant move toward racial integration in media, Cole and the showrunners were still aware of the racial divisions that existed in the country. Johnny Mercer invited him to record it for the fledgling Capitol Records label. One of the men was identified to be a member of the white supremacist group White Citizens' Council. While on a Incomparable Nat King Cole II. Only one person other than Cole's wife would get to visit Cole before he died, and that was comedian Jack Benny. This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 04:04. 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. Nat King Cole's early career and trio. Born . Booklet Volumes 3 and 4 contain 3 shellac records. As if in recognition of the fact, his health began to deteriorate in the fall of 1964. Died Nat "King" Cole: Soundies & Telescriptions. Years active. Nat King Cole albums and discography on AllMusic including all best, old, and new album information. The song and the album of the same name won seven Grammy awards in 1992. Noted for his warm tone and flawless phrasing, Cole was regarded among the top male vocalists, although jazz critics tended to regret his near-abandonment of the piano. In 1948, Cole purchased a house in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. On November 5, 1956, The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC-TV. Nat King Cole. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). . Born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1919, Nathaniel Adams Coles (he dropped the s after he started playing music professionally) was one of four musically talented sons of a grocer who longed to preach the gospel. The album was so popular in Latin America as well as in the United States that two others in the same vein followed: A Mis Amigos (sung in Spanish and She began recording again after a stint in rehab in. According to AL.com, his comments sparked criticisms among civil rights leaders, who felt that Cole hadn't done enough in pushing for change, especially since he had always agreed to perform for segregated audiences. Lullaby of Harlem. 16.57. 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. This article contains a list of albums by Nat King Cole and compilations of his recordings, together with a list of his chart singles. According to AllMusic, the two joined forces after Eddie returned from touring with Noble Sissle's band and formed their own swing sextet. For most of the '30s and '40s he was a third of this musical act. 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. Cole Wont Rock and Roll (1962) that served only to make him look even further out of touch. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nat-King-Cole, Turner Classic Movies - Biography of Nat King Cole, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Biography of Nat "King" Cole, Encyclopedia of Alabama - Biography of Nat "King" Cole, Nat King Cole - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 34. The writers pointed out that he made a grammatical error during the last line of the bridge. As of the spring of 1950, Cole's recordings were being credited simply to "Nat King Cole." On July 8 of that year, his recording of the wistful movie theme "Mona Lisa," featuring a string chart arranged by Nelson Riddle, became Cole's third number one pop hit and gold record. Something went wrong. Handy in St. Louis Blues (1958). , Ed Sheeran announces release of acoustic album Subtract, 10 years in the making, Albums coming in 2023: Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Mimi Webb and more, Who is Mae Stephens - the 19-year-old behind viral hit If We Ever Broke Up, Official Trending Chart: Pink, Niall, Mae Stephens and more, Americana albums to look forward to in 2023, It's Gorillaz vs. Gracie Abrams for this week's Number 1 album. 3rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Although her father, Nat King Cole, passed away when she was just a teenager, Natalie Cole has still been able to perform duets with her father via . Incredibly, Coles singing was as extraordinary as his playing. Jenkins arranged Love Is the Thing, #1 on the album charts in April 1957. Nat "King" Cole and His Trio. Yet despite this and other close encounters with the evils of racism, Cole remained outwardly unfazed and his white fans staunchly loyal. Cole received 28 Gold Record awards for such hits as "Sweet Lorraine" and "Ramblin' Rose" in 1962, "Too Young" in 1951, "Mona Lisa" in 1949, and Mel Torm's "Christmas Song." . Nat took the advice seriously and, around the age of 12, started to dive into the classics, "playing everything from Bach to Rachmaninoff," according to Ruuth. While he is best remembered today for his musical legacy, Nat King Cole was a multitalented entertainer. Shared with: Lee Gillette (Producer) For the album "The Nat King Cole Story". But music-industry insiders had already taken note of the King Cole Trio and its leader, and one of them, the songwriter Johnny Mercer, signed the group to a contract with Capitol, a new record label founded by Mercer himself that quickly became an industry powerhouse. The first was in 1946 with the King Cole Trio. Before his tragic death, Cole underwent cancer surgery, which resulted in the removal of one of his lungs, per Los Angeles Times. Capitol 78-rpm albums [ edit] Volumes 1-4 released as separate booklets in 10" format. Eddie strongly encouraged Nat to learn how to read music and become proficient in the technical side of piano playing. Coles second wife, Maria Ellington (no relation to Duke), felt the same way. His father died just two weeks before he did. Cole mastered this style as a teenager, adding to it an idiomatic feel for the blues that Hines lacked, along with a forward-looking harmonic vocabulary that prefigured bebop, the avant-garde jazz style of the 40s. One of the key jazz voices of the 20th Century, Nat King Cole picked up fourteen UK Top 10 singles while his first album Love Is The Thing reached Number 1 in 1957. At that point of his career, he was a highly recognized singer. 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 . He died of lung cancer in February, 1965, when he was forty-five years old. Copyright Songwriters Hall of Fame 2023. "Madison Avenue," Cole said, "is afraid of the dark. His pop hits were collaborations with well-known arrangers and conductors of the day, including Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Ralph Carmichael. Cole did not finish the concert and never again performed in the South. For "Ramblin' Rose" 1962 Nominee Grammy: Album of the Year. Jazz singer Nat King Cole was best known for songs like "The Christmas Song" and "Ramblin' Rose" (via Billboard). There were several covers of Nat Cole's original record in the 1940s. In Cole, Nat King. 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. By the summer of 1957, it was New York City's top-rated variety program. To this day, singer-instrumentalists such as Diana Krall and John Pizzarelli continue to model their groups on the King Cole Trios stylish, tightly routined records, and Coles own brilliant playing left its mark on any number of younger pianists, among them Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, and Bill Evans, who called him probably the most underrated jazz pianist in the history of jazz.. Cole did manage to record some hit singles during the 1960s, including the country-flavored hit "Ramblin' Rose" and "Dear Lonely Hearts," "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer," "Let Me Tell You, Babe," and "That Sunday, That Summer.". Cole retorted "Neither do I. Completed in 1956, it was the world's first circular office building and became known as "the house that Nat built.". Coles piano style would have made an impression under any circumstances, but it was the setting that he now created for himselfa drummerless trio consisting of piano, electric guitar, and bassthat showed it off most advantageously. He always blamed the advertising executives for the show's end, bitterly commenting, "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.". 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. Children: 5, including Natalie Cole. Cole hit a lull in her career in the early 1980s due to her struggle with drug addiction, subsequently parting ways with Capitol Records. On March 28, 1948 (Easter Sunday), just six days after his divorce became final, Cole married singer Maria Hawkins Ellingtonno relation to Duke Ellington although she had sung with Ellington's band. Though they recorded for the same label and worked with many of the same arrangers, the two men had little in common as singers. Be the first to find out about GRAMMY nominees, winners, important news, and events. He occasionally revisited his jazz roots, as on the outstanding album After Midnight (1956), which proved that Coles piano skills had not diminished. Shop with confidence. Apparently, his part-time efforts paid off, because by the time he was 15, he had dropped out of school and was pursuing music full-time. Song Year: 1954. 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: Encore. Cole's first marriage, to Nadine Robinson, ended in 1948. Unlike Sinatra, Cole was not a confessional performer whose interpretations reflected the dark side of his personality. Had Cole continued to lead the trio, he would be generally acknowledged as one of the most important jazz pianists of the 20th century. According to NPR, he sold over 50 million records and had hit after hit during his career, including more than 30 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 (via Billboard). 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.". Cole's chain-smoking habits would, sadly, catch up to him. They tried a couple of places, including Beverly Hills, but ultimately wanted somewhere away from the paparazzi and rowdy fans. . The Weeknd? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Their first chart success, Straighten Up and Fly Right (1943), was followed by hits such as Sweet Lorraine, Its Only a Paper Moon, (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons, and Route 66. Eventually, Coles piano playing took a backseat to his singing career. November 23, 2019. NAT KING COLE 78 RPM GRAMOPHONE RECORDS X 8. Two years later, he resumed performing, reinvented himself as a stadium act, and returned to his place at the center of American popular culture. 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. He made his first professional recordings in 1936 and the following year put together what would become the King Cole Trio. (As Cole himself said when asked to compare himself to Sinatra, the band swings Frank. 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. 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. Click here to send a letter to the editor. He churned out song after song, including classics like "Unforgettable" and "Mona Lisa." 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. . Natalie, of course, has followed in her fathers difficult-to-fill footsteps as a highly successful recording artist in her own right. Page 2", "From the Archives: Nat 'King' Cole dies of cancer at 45", "Bud Billiken Day Parade reaches 89th year", "Phillips High School is cradle of history", "Tracing the Highs and Tragic End of Sam Cooke", "Buck-Five Disk of Indies Seen Different Ways", "Show 22 Smack Dab in the Middle on Route 66: A Skinny Dip in the Easy Listening Mainstream. 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. 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. This vintage song carries the timeless message to keep your chin up when life looks bleak. Parts of our site will not function correctly without them. Coles singing career began inadvertently when a tipsy customer at a small Hollywood bistro insisted that he sing, Sweet Lorraine, which he did to an enthused response, not only from the drunk, but from the entire audience as well. In addition, the absence of a drummer gave the trio a transparent sound that made it easier for Cole and Oscar Moore, an unsung pioneer of jazz guitar, to toss musical ideas back and forth, supported only by the swinging bass lines of Wesley Prince and, later, Johnny Miller. 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. 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. Cole performed a posthumous "virtual" duet with his daughter, recording star Natalie Cole, for the title track of the 1991 Grammy Awardwinning album Unforgettable . (1944) has lost none of its freshness eight decades later. Nat King Cole (March 17, 1919 February 15, 1965), born Nathaniel Adams Coles, was a popular American jazz singer-songwriter and pianist. 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). Genealogy profile for Nat King Cole. with Love. 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. Cole later retooled the concept album into an off-Broadway show, I'm With You. To speculate about what might have been is obviously fruitless, though it is possible that he might have taken up the piano again and become the elder statesman of jazz that he had it in him to be. 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. But after some prodding from the manager who insisted since the customer was a "big spender," Cole agreed. Cole also appeared in many movies, his last one being Cat Ballou (1965), starring Lee Marvin. Despite the fact that Nat King Cole is revered today as a vocal legend, he never intentionally pursued a singing career. You also need to do it for the public.. The second version, released in November, established the song as a seasonal standard, and three days after recording it, Cole made an even more successful trio-only record of (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons that shot to the No. Cole praised NBC for its support and directly blamed the advertising industry. But despite success, Cole wanted to pursue a solo musical career. The success of these recordings led to Coles becoming a regular guest on the most widely viewed TV programs of the 50s, including Person to Person, This Is Your Life, Whats My Line? Was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 04:04 vintage song carries the timeless message keep... Activity that damages one 's lungs and vocals a week, Americans tuned in to watch Cole... X27 ; s early career and trio with the King Cole is revered as. Released as separate booklets in 10 & quot ; 1962 Nominee Grammy: album of the Year highly. 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