In December 1964, he was diagnosed with lung cancer when they discovered a tumor in his left lung, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. On February 15, 1965, Nat King Cole passed away in his sleep at the age of 45. Mannie . Sold for 32.24 USD on 22 Mar 2022 (4 bids) 78 rpm. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. Cole appeared frequently on popular variety programs hosted by Perry Como, Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan, and others. The year was 1936, and Cole had left his hometown of Chicago to go on tour with a Broadway musical revue. The Best of the Nat King Cole Trio: The Vocal Classics 1942-46. 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. Maria also encouraged him to part with his expensive sidemen and turn the group from the King Cole Trio into Nat King Cole and His Trio, assuring him that his singing was the draw. The Nat King Cole story is a tale of two major talents, both owned by the same person. 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). Coles jazz roots never quite disappeared, especially when he recorded up-tempo tunes such as Almost Like Being in Love (1953) with arrangers such as Nelson Riddle and Billy May, sailing effortlessly atop the beat with the irresistible swing of the nonpareil instrumentalist he had been. He even left the hospital to see his children one last time in a brief car ride home with his wife. Cole Wont Rock and Roll (1962) that served only to make him look even further out of touch. Shared with: Lee Gillette (Producer) For the album "The Nat King Cole Story". Cole was hired as the pianist for a jazz quartet that would play at the Swanee Inn nearHollywood, as told by uDiscover Music. Record companies had previously discouraged black male vocalists from recording anything but blues and novelties, but Cole, whose affable yet dignified stage demeanor was sufficiently unthreatening not to discomfit white audiences, had already surmounted that obstacle in the romantic ballads he recorded with the trio. Volumes 1-4 released as separate booklets in 10" format. The writers pointed out that he made a grammatical error during the last line of the bridge. Between 1900 and 1950, the population of Black people living in Los Angeles grew exponentially, multiplying by more than 150. 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. Cole hit a lull in her career in the early 1980s due to her struggle with drug addiction, subsequently parting ways with Capitol Records. 1936-1955. Later he filled in for his mother playing organ in the church. Jazz singer Nat King Cole was best known for songs like "The Christmas Song" and "Ramblin' Rose" (via Billboard). He made his first professional recordings in 1936 and the following year put together what would become the King Cole Trio. Though they recorded for the same label and worked with many of the same arrangers, the two men had little in common as singers. Once a week, Americans tuned in to watch as Cole and other musicians performed on television (via Indiana Public Media). 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 . Handy and acted alongside Eartha Kitt and Cab Calloway, was the only film where he had a major starring role. As a kid, Cole played the organ and sang at church with his family. She began recording again after a stint in rehab in. 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 . His enjoyable personality landed him the iconic gig as the host of his very own nationally televised show, as told by NPR. All GRAMMY Awards and Nominations for Nat "King" Cole. Record of the Year. The song and the album of the same name won seven Grammy awards in 1992. His stature as a popular icon was cemented during this period by hits such as "The Christmas Song" (Cole recorded the tune four times), "Nature Boy" (1948), "Mona Lisa" (1950), "Too Young" (1951), and his signature tune "Unforgettable" (1951). Cole frequently consulted with President Kennedy (and later President Johnson) on the issue of civil rights. The public, who knew very little about the severity of his condition, was shocked. Cole felt confident that commercial sponsors would support the program, but advertisers worried that white Southern audiences would boycott their products. He churned out song after song, including classics like "Unforgettable" and "Mona Lisa." Legend has it that, one night, a drunk customer demanded that the group sing. 3rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. 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! Born in Alabama on March 17, 1919, Nathaniel Adams Coles (he would later drop the "s") always had a musical streak. Instead, his most publicized relationship was his marriage to Maria Hawkins Ellington. This article contains a list of albums by Nat King Cole and compilations of his recordings, together with a list of his chart singles. THE STORY of Coles life, which is told in Will Friedwalds Straighten Up and Fly Right (2020), the first factually reliable primary-source biography of the singer-instrumentalist, runs parallel to and sheds light on many key aspects of the black experience in 20th-century America. The attack began at the rear of the auditorium when three men ran down the aisles towards Cole and his band. The LA Sentinel describes how Cole, who was known for his smooth, rich voice, would smoke as many as three packs a day. 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. "I lost my baby in December. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. His father died just two weeks before he did. A decade earlier, Cole's mother died, also of cancer. 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). By the start of the 1960s, Cole was only getting more popular. 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. But while Coles studies were central to his artistic development, he became obsessed early on with jazz in general and the pianism of Earl Hines in particular. For "Wild Is Love" Best Vocal Performance Album, Male. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. It is this final version that is the standard we hear today. It is tragically ironic that a talented singer would partake in an activity that damages one's lungs and vocals. Even when he sang bleak torch songs such as The End of a Love Affair (1962), Cole attained his greatest commercial success, however, as a vocalist specializing in warm ballads and light swing. He was also present at the Democratic National Convention in 1960 to throw his support behind President John F. Kennedy. First airing in November 1956,The Nat King Cole Show was the very first time that a Black man was able to host a variety program, a historic development which saw Americans all across the country turning on their televisions to welcome an African-American host into their homes. Cole Espanol: Greatest Hits by Nat King Cole (Record, 2018) (5) $18.48 New. It was with this band named after and led by Eddie that Nat King Cole made his first recording: "Eddie Cole's Swingsters" recorded two singles for Decca Records in 1936. That year Cole released his memorable song "L-O-V-E," but at the close of 1964, the beloved entertainer also learned that he had lung cancer. Beginning in the late 1940s, Cole began recording and performing more pop-oriented material for mainstream audiences, often accompanied by a string orchestra. Nat King Cole was making and setting records for his celebrated music decades before Elvis Presley and The Beatles arrived on the scene. 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. Booklet Volumes 1 and 2 contain 4 shellac records. For "Wild Is Love" It also inspired NBC to offer him his own weekly TV series, which debuted in 1956. 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. According to police, a plan had been developed four days earlier for a group of 150 white men to attack Cole. Cole voluntarily gave up the show with a simple commentary: Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.. Perlina also gave young Nat piano lessons, and although nothing specific is known about his course of study, it is obvious from the exceptional technical finish of his jazz playing that he received thorough training in the fundamentals of classical piano. . AllMusic. Booklet Volumes 3 and 4 contain 3 shellac records. But despite success, Cole wanted to pursue a solo musical career. 4th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The property owners association told Cole they did not want any undesirables moving in. Soon, he graduated to playing other characters, such as his roles inIstanbulandChina Gate. In 1991, Mosaic Records released The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio, an 18 compact disc set, consisting of 349 songs. In 1956, "The Nat King Cole Show" was the first of its kind for a known Black performer. Nat King Cole was born Nathaniel Adams Coles (he later dropped the "s" in his surname) in Montgomery, Alabama. Thousands flocked to build a life on South . However, he was with his wife during his illness and she stayed with him until his death. There were several covers of Nat Cole's original record in the 1940s. 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. His 1957 recording of "When I Fall In Love" reached number four in the United Kingdom charts in 1987. Cole struggled against racism throughout his career and on April 10, 1956, at Birmingham, Alabama, he was attacked by three white men from a white-supremacist group during a concert and sustained minor injuries to his back. In his words: You need to [change] for youto keep growing. (via NewsOne). On November 5, 1956, The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC-TV. On February 15, 1965, Cole died at the age of 45. 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. When the drummer never showed up, the quartet became a trio. 49, no. According toThe Guardian,cigarette smoking was not only "the epitome of cool and glamour," but it was also cheap and accessible. 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. 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). 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. November 23, 2019. Get notified of exciting GRAMMY Award news and upcoming events! Throughout the 1950s, Cole continued to rack up hit after hit, including "Smile," "Pretend," "A Blossom Fell," "If I May." His pop hits were collaborations with well-known arrangers and conductors of the day, including Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Ralph Carmichael. According to theOrlando Sentinel, after his time with Shuffle Along came to an end in Long Beach, Cole and his wife at the time decided to settle in California. This page was last edited on 11 November 2022, at 01:27. 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. He also performed as a pianist on sessions with Lester Young, Red Callender, and Lionel Hampton. The trio played in Los Angeles throughout the late 1930s and recorded many radio transcriptions. 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. , 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. ", Singer and actress Eartha Kitt, one of the program's guest stars, later reflected that Cole's sophisticated image, elegance, and interaction with white performers as equals "was dangerous" in an era when blacks appearing on television regularly were only in comic or subservient roles. Web. According to the Los Angeles Times, Cole was aware of his impending death. 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. The first of these was said to be by Dick Haymes on the Decca label, but his was released first - not recorded first. This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 04:04. Nor have I joined an organization fighting segregation. He passed away in February 1965 aged 45. Incredibly, Coles singing was as extraordinary as his playing. Constant touring paid the bills, and he remained one of the most sought-after acts in Las Vegas, but it galled him that he could not stay in the hotels where he performed, and though he continued to sing beautifully, he spent more and more studio time recording throwaway material such as the country-style Ramblin Rose (1962) and Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer (1963), as well as a sour-grapes novelty called Mr. [10] In December 2011, Billboard began a Holiday Songs chart with 50 positions that monitors the last five weeks of each year to "rank the top holiday hits of all eras using the same methodology as the Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay, and sales data",[11] and in 2013 the number of positions on the chart was doubled, resulting in the Holiday 100. When Cole was on tour that spring, he traveled to the South, including his birth state of Alabama, and performed for an all-white audience in Birmingham. Cole later retooled the concept album into an off-Broadway show, I'm With You. 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. 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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Explore the scintillating March 2023 issue of Commentary. 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. September 28, 2016. Back to home page | Had Cole continued to lead the trio, he would be generally acknowledged as one of the most important jazz pianists of the 20th century. 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." 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. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here: The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia: Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed. Here's a look into the untold truth of Nat King Cole. 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. Years active. He always blamed the advertising executives for the show's end, bitterly commenting, "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.". For most of the '30s and '40s he was a third of this musical act. Updates? 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. A wholly mainstream singer and entertainer, Cole was eventually offered his own TV show, which he very much wanted. Riddle and Cole recorded one final hit album Wild Is Love, based on lyrics by Ray Rasch and Dotty Wayne. An influence on jazz pianists such as Oscar Peterson, Cole was known for a compact, syncopated piano style with clean, spare, melodic phrases. The racist mob never showed up, resulting in the smaller-scale attack that transpired. Booklet Volumes 1 and 2 contain 4 shellac records. Sampled by Susan Boyle feat Nat King Cole [sampled] When I Grow Too Old to Dream. Cole praised NBC for its support and directly blamed the advertising industry. 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. For "Ramblin' Rose" 1962 Nominee Grammy: Album of the Year. As a teenager, Cole became caught up in a relationship with a woman ten years older than him, according toObserver. Incomparable Nat King Cole II. On August 23, 1956, Cole spoke at the Republican National Convention in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy and its Affiliates lies with the story's original source or writer. At the same time, though, Cole wasn't an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement initially. 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 . Something went wrong. Despite the efforts of NBC, The Nat King Cole Show ultimately failed due to a lack of national sponsorship. UK. Nat's youngest brother Freddy Cole, and his daughter, Natalie Cole are also singers. . 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. Those close to him, however, knew for days and were able to see him in his last moments. At the start of the '50s, Nat King Cole was a solo jazz performer (via Biography). 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." Please enter your email address. He was, without a doubt, a pioneer, but that doesn't mean his many successes came without struggles. Cole grew up in Chicago, where, by age 12, he sang and played organ in the church where his father was pastor. Sell it yourself. They tried a couple of places, including Beverly Hills, but ultimately wanted somewhere away from the paparazzi and rowdy fans. Initially, Cole refused, replying, "We don't sing." An African-American jazz pianist, pop vocalist, and balladeer, Cole's popularity is even more incredible considering the time period in which he thrived. Portuguese) in 1959, and More Cole Espaol in 1962. . In . The classic "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" was popularized by Cole in the late 1940s. 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. His show only lasted for one season, but in one year Cole had filmed some 53 episodes, per IMDb,paving the way for other Black television hosts. Cole was only 17. Among them were Nat Cole and his family. Cole's chain-smoking habits would, sadly, catch up to him. 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. The last episode of The Nat King Cole Show aired December 17, 1957. The show ultimately failed due to its inability to attract national sponsors because the program was hosted by a black person. Found 396 items. His remains were interred inside Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. He and his first wife, Nadine Robinson,. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He passed away. "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. Anniversary Flashback: Al Martino gains first UK Number 1 single 70 years ago. The King Cole Trio signed with the fledgling Capitol Records in 1943 and Cole stayed with the recording company for the rest of his career. The first of these is the so-called Great Migration that brought 6 million Southern blacks northward to seek better, freer lives in Americas largest cities. Not until 1951 did Cole drop the trio for good, but in the ensuing years he had recorded a series of orchestra-accompanied ballads, among them Mona Lisa, Nature Boy, and Too Young, that made his artistic intentions clear. Full-time combos of any sort were uncommon in the swing era, and the King Cole Trio would have stood out for that reason alone. He barely had visitors, as they were apparently barred from his hospital room.
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