But the ballads he sang with his trio were so enthusiastically received by the public that he started cutting vocal records accompanied by studio orchestras, and these proved even more successful than their jazz-oriented predecessors. 4th Annual GRAMMY Awards. During the late 1930s and early 40s the trio made several instrumental recordings, as well as others that featured their harmonizing vocals. Booklet Volumes 1 and 2 contain 4 shellac records. Facing death himself, Cole was also dealing with grief. Nat King Cole was making and setting records for his celebrated music decades before Elvis Presley and The Beatles arrived on the scene. As a kid, Cole played the organ and sang at church with his family. His final days were pretty grim. View cart for details. Anniversary Flashback: Al Martino gains first UK Number 1 single 70 years ago. Cole performed a posthumous "virtual" duet with his daughter, recording star Natalie Cole, for the title track of the 1991 Grammy Awardwinning album Unforgettable . The advertising executives of Madison Avenue refused to risk alienating their white audience base, who was likely to respond with prejudice to a show hosted by a Black American, even one as popular and admired as Nat King Cole. 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. The diagnosis would cut Cole's life very short, because he died not long after the discovery. But no national sponsor would advertise on a show hosted by a black manit is no coincidence that Cole was attacked on stage in Birmingham in the same year that The Nat King Cole Show was launchedand the series was further limited by the fact that Cole, though he was a genial host, could not act, meaning that he was incapable of appearing in the comedy sketches that were staples of most other TV variety series of the period. Friedwald, Will (2006). The year was 1936, and Cole had left his hometown of Chicago to go on tour with a Broadway musical revue. 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. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. Lost your password? In 1960, Nat's long-time collaborator Nelson Riddle left Capitol Records for Frank Sinatra's newly formed Reprise Records label. Privacy Policy. The trio consisted of Nat on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass. Shop with confidence. Born on March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama, Cole's first introduction to music was in the church. Despite the fact that Nat King Cole is revered today as a vocal legend, he never intentionally pursued a singing career. Settling in California, the Coles had five children and made their home in Hancock Park in greater Los Angeles. Cole appeared frequently on popular variety programs hosted by Perry Como, Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan, and others. Personal Life Cole married for the first time when he was only 17. Capitol 78-rpm albums [ edit] Volumes 1-4 released as separate booklets in 10" format. But after some prodding from the manager who insisted since the customer was a "big spender," Cole agreed. Cole died in his sleep at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. . Lullaby of Harlem. Without a large sponsor, NBC was unable to keep the show scheduled during prime time and had to move it to a less coveted time slot. He received music lessons from his mother and his family moved to Chicago when he was only five, where his father, Edward James Coles, was a minister at the True Light Baptist Church and later Pastor of the First Baptist Church . Nat "King" Cole and His Trio. When white stars, particularly women, came on the show, there was a pointed effort to make sure there was always some kind of barrier (such as a chair) between them and Cole to ensure audiences wouldn't be angry. Spouse (s) Nat King Cole. New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article 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). These critiques hurt the musician, who would eventually take a more active role in the movement, including participating in the 1963 March on Washington and regularly performing at benefit concerts for civil rights groups. A Mis Amigos contains the Venezuelan hit "Ansiedad," whose lyrics Cole had learned while performing in Caracas in 1958. 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. 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. Though they recorded for the same label and worked with many of the same arrangers, the two men had little in common as singers. 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 . Nat King Cole, too, fell to the allure of smoking. Booklet Volumes 3 and 4 contain 3 shellac records. Cole Wont Rock and Roll (1962) that served only to make him look even further out of touch. He and one of the dancers, Nadine Robinson, hit it off, and by 1937, the two were married in Michigan, as told by AllMusic. 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. Despite the efforts of NBC, The Nat King Cole Show ultimately failed due to a lack of national sponsorship. By the summer of 1957, it was New York City's top-rated variety program. Nat would continue playing piano with the revue for the rest of the tour, performing all across the country until the show, unfortunately, ran out of money in Long Beach in 1937, as described by the Orlando Sentinel. I have not taken part in any protests. 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.. How do the traditional Christmas standards perform on the chart? The Weeknd? We want to hear your thoughts about this article. 34. 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: Encore. 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. 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." His older brother, Eddie Coles, a bassist, soon joined Nat's band and they first recorded in 1936 under Eddie's name. On one hand, his existence as a popular Black musician certainly challenged racist sentiments and broke down many barriers. For most of the '30s and '40s he was a third of this musical act. First Look: Could PinkPantheress or The Weeknd challenge Miley for Number 1? 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. 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. 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. Riddle arranged several of Cole's 1950s albums, including his first 10-inch long-play album, his 1953 Nat King Cole Sings For Two In Love. With a catalog full of memorable love songs, Nat King Cole certainly had his own interesting experiences with romance. Updates? 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. A multi-talented musician who played piano, bass, and tuba, Eddie would sneak out in the night to perform at various gigs around town, and it wasn't too long before young Nat started following him around, too. Natalie, of course, has followed in her fathers difficult-to-fill footsteps as a highly successful recording artist in her own right. 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. 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. 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. Cole's family moved to Chicago, Illinois, while he was still a child. Louis Blues. During the early 60s, Cole also travelled extensively, doing highly successful concert tours of Latin America, Japan, the European Continent and England. Each phrase is laid out with soft-spoken clarity and every syllable, even the second syllable in flower, comes through with etched but unexaggerated precision (so much so that one instantly notices his rare lapses from standard pronunciation, as when he makes mere and idea rhyme). Cole was hired as the pianist for a jazz quartet that would play at the Swanee Inn nearHollywood, as told by uDiscover Music. Basin Street Revue. 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? "[1] The program featured some of the most acclaimed artists,who performed at a fraction of their usual rate to help keep the show on the air. They tried a couple of places, including Beverly Hills, but ultimately wanted somewhere away from the paparazzi and rowdy fans. 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. Completed in 1956, it was the world's first circular office building and became known as "the house that Nat built.". In 1991, Mosaic Records released The Complete Capitol Records Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio, a compilation of 349 songs available as an 18-CD or a 27-LP set. January 1957. Police intervened and took custody of three men immediately, while three additional men were arrested in the aftermath of the attack. By the 1950s, Nat King Cole had become a household name. Once a week, Americans tuned in to watch as Cole and other musicians performed on television (via Indiana Public Media). According to police, a plan had been developed four days earlier for a group of 150 white men to attack Cole. Nat King Cole The Christmas Song LP Red Colored 180g Vinyl. 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 n roll. 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. The first cover of "The Christmas Song" was performed by pop tenor and bandleader Eddy Howard on Majestic. The trio specialized in swing music with a delicate touch in that they did not employ a drummer; also unique were the voicings of piano and guitar, often juxtaposed to sound like a single instrument. This article contains a list of albums by Nat King Cole and compilations of his recordings, together with a list of his chart singles. What he could never have done was become a Sinatra-like cultural colossus, for he lacked Sinatras larger-than-life personality. By 12 he was singing, too, says Britannica. Cole was born in Montgomery, Alabama. . 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. Cole had greater success with concert performances during the late 1950s and early 60s and twice toured with his own vaudeville-style reviews, The Merry World of Nat King Cole (1961) and Sights and Sounds (1963). Cole, a heavy smoker who would smoke as much as three packs of cigarettes a day, died of lung cancer while still at the height of his singing career. Sold for 19.99 USD on 28 May 2022 (Buy It Now) 78 rpm. The Coles family moved to Chicago in 1923 and Edward, Nats father, set up shop as a Baptist minister, with Perlina, his wife, leading the choir of the True Light Baptist Church and playing organ. Record Labels Nat King Cole Recordings Sold to Universal Music Group By Chris Eggertsen . Now they became the focus of his second career, and he soon became one of the preeminent pop singers of his generation, Frank Sinatras only male peer. 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. Grove Music Online. 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). Nat King Cole's early career and trio. Not much is publicly known about this first marriage, which came to an end about 11 years later in 1948. While he is best remembered today for his musical legacy, Nat King Cole was a multitalented entertainer. Nat learned to play the organ from his mother until the age of 12, when he began formal lessons. By the time he worked his way from Chicago to Los Angeles, settling there permanently in 1937, his playing was already fully formed. He formed his first jazz group, the Royal Dukes, five years later. At a time when Jim Crow was the law of the land and the Civil Rights Movement was growing stronger, Nat King Cole played a complicated role. Cole later retooled the concept album into an off-Broadway show, I'm With You. Coles second wife, Maria Ellington (no relation to Duke), felt the same way. 16.57. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The prejudices of the era in which Cole lived hindered his potential for even greater stardom. Eddie strongly encouraged Nat to learn how to read music and become proficient in the technical side of piano playing. Later, in 1953, he recorded a rearrangement made by Nelson Riddle. Instead, his most publicized relationship was his marriage to Maria Hawkins Ellington. You also need to do it for the public.. Liner notes. 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. Nat was piano player and leader of the combo. Here's a look into the untold truth of Nat King Cole. 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. He always blamed the advertising executives for the show's end, bitterly commenting, "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.". Moreover, his appeal, like that of Armstrong, crossed racial lines, and did so at a time when much of America was still segregated, a fact that led to his being assaulted on stage by a group of white supremacists during a concert he was giving in Birmingham in 1956. Jazz singer Nat King Cole was best known for songs like "The Christmas Song" and "Ramblin' Rose" (via Billboard).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. There, his father became a minister; Nat's mother, Perlina, was the church organist. He was also present at the Democratic National Convention in 1960 to throw his support behind President John F. Kennedy. Free delivery for many products. 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. What he wanted (even if he never said so) was to become the first black popular singer to be accepted on even terms with his white contemporaries. 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. I think I've finally got this cancer licked.". Instead, he was content to be nothing moreor lessthan a first-rate popular singer, and the reissue in 1991 of an 18-CD boxed set of the King Cole Trios recordings for Capitol triggered a revival of interest in his earlier work as a jazz pianist. Throughout his career, Cole remained extremely close to his wife, Maria, and to their five children, Carol, Natalie, Kelly, and the twins, Timolin and Casey. Carole signed the papers and rushed home, where Nat would die on Feb. 15, 1965. Nathaniel Adams Coles (he changed his last name to . 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. The brothers were also hired to perform in the "revival of the all-black Broadway musical revue Shuffle Along" for their Chicago stop. Start your risk free trial with unlimited access. Nat King Cole was in the final stages of lung cancer. By the 1950s, he worked almost exclusively as a singer, with such notable arrangers as Nelson Riddle and Billy May providing lush orchestral accompaniment. Soon, he graduated to playing other characters, such as his roles inIstanbulandChina Gate. (via NewsOne). Victor Young, Jeri Southern with Victor Young and His Orchestra. While on a Cole learned songs in languages other than English by rote. For "Wild Is Love" Best Vocal Performance Album, Male. Ballerina, Funny, The Continental, I Wish You Love, You Leave Me Breathless, Thou Swell, My Kind Of Love, Surrey With The Fringe On Top, Where Or When, Miss Otis Regrets, Joe Turner's Blues, Mr. Cole Won't . Shared with: Lee Gillette (Producer) For the album "The Nat King Cole Story". Record Of The Year Ramblin' Rose (Single) More from the 5th A Awards. Before his tragic death, Cole underwent cancer surgery, which resulted in the removal of one of his lungs, per Los Angeles Times. When they came upon a house in Hancock Park, they agreed that they had found their future home. In August 1948, the couple moved into their new home. Get notified of exciting GRAMMY Award news and upcoming events! Incomparable Nat King Cole II. The first was in 1946 with the King Cole Trio. All rights reserved. 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. In 1948, Cole purchased a house in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The invasion of the stage was quickly contained by local law enforcement but in the ensuing mele Cole was toppled from his piano bench and injured his back. But fame doesn't negate racist sentiments and violence. eBay Money Back Guarantee. Born in Alabama on March 17, 1919, Nathaniel Adams Coles (he would later drop the "s") always had a musical streak. The classic "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" was popularized by Cole in the late 1940s. Back to home page | In addition to being a skilled pianist, famous vocalist, and likable stage personality, according to Britannica, Cole also spent some time acting. With the sole exception of Louis Armstrong, he is the only major jazz musician to have been identically distinguished and influential as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist. He was criticized by some for regularly performing in segregated-audience venues in the South, for instance. For "Ramblin' Rose" 1962 Nominee Grammy: Album of the Year. On November 5, 1956, The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC-TV. When I Fall in Love: The One and Only Nat King Cole. Be the first to find out about GRAMMY nominees, winners, important news, and events. Cole was dedicated to seeing the pioneering show succeed, not for the money but to break down barriers and disprove racial prejudices. During World War II, Wesley Prince left the group and Cole replaced him with Johnny Miller. This article contains a list of albums by Nat King Cole and compilations of his recordings, together with a list of his chart singles. Naxos of America / OKeh Records AllMusic Quiz. He barely had visitors, as they were apparently barred from his hospital room. Album of the Year (Other Than Classical) For "The Nat "King" Cole Story" 1961 Nominee Grammy: Album of the Year. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole Espanol: Greatest Hits by Nat King Cole (Record, 2018) (5) $18.48 New. 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. (This special compilation also was available as a 27 high-quality LP record set.). (As Cole himself said when asked to compare himself to Sinatra, the band swings Frank. He and his first wife, Nadine Robinson,. Audio CD. Years active. In 1956, "The Nat King Cole Show" was the first of its kind for a known Black performer. "Cole, Nat 'King'." 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. . 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. Apparently, he felt that smoking gave his voice the unique quality it had and would smoke "several cigarettes in rapid succession before a recording for that very purpose.". Thousands flocked to build a life on South . Something went wrong. Cole was only 17. Nat King Cole - Artist Details. At the same time, though, Cole wasn't an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement initially. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. It sold over 500,000 copies, and proved that folk-based material could appeal to a wide audience. Hittin The Ramp: The Early Years 1936-1943 by Nat King Cole (Record, 2019) $148.99 New. 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. PinkPantheress? By the 1950s, Nat King Cole emerged as a popular solo performer with numerous hits including "Mona Lisa", "Smile" and "Unforgettable". What some may not know, though, is that he recorded four versions of the song. 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. Handy and acted alongside Eartha Kitt and Cab Calloway, was the only film where he had a major starring role. Genealogy profile for Nat King Cole. As if in recognition of the fact, his health began to deteriorate in the fall of 1964. with Love. His rendition of "Sweet Lorraine" was so well-received that he continued to sing, and his pure musical talent, both vocally and on the piano, began to get the attention it deserved. In 1937, after finishing high school, he wrote his first song, Straighten up and Fly Right, which he eventually sold for $50. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. He was survived by his wife, Maria, and five children; three biological and two adopted. Cole reportedly carried on affairs throughout his marriage. The change in musical tastes during the late 1950s meant that Cole's ballad singing did not sell well with younger listeners, despite a successful stab at rock n' roll with "Send For Me" (peaked at #6 pop). 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