Genealogy profile for Nat King Cole. 34. Victor Young, Jeri Southern with Victor Young and His Orchestra. Sensing its commercial possibilities, Cole rerecorded the song two months later, adding four violins and a harp, the first time he had ever sung with string accompaniment. There were several covers of Nat Cole's original record in the 1940s. 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. Instead, his most publicized relationship was his marriage to Maria Hawkins Ellington. Nat King Cole recorded this for the first time in 1946 with his group The Nat King Cole Trio. 1930s - 1960s. 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. The racist mob never showed up, resulting in the smaller-scale attack that transpired. 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.. 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. Volumes 1-4 released as separate booklets in 10" format. Cole reportedly carried on affairs throughout his marriage. The day before he died, he did a radio interview, stating: "I am feeling better than ever. 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. His pop hits were collaborations with well-known arrangers and conductors of the day, including Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Ralph Carmichael. Capitol 78-rpm albums [ edit] Volumes 1-4 released as separate booklets in 10" format. 1st Annual GRAMMY Awards. The Nat King Cole Story [45rpm 200g Vinyl] by Nat King Cole (Vinyl, Jan-2011, 5 Discs, Analogue Productions) $1,199.00 New. The six men arrested were all originally charged with "assault with intent to murder," but the charges were later changed to "conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor" for four of them. One cosmetics representative claimed that a "negro" couldn't sell lipstick, to which Cole angrily responded, "What do they think we use? Among them were Nat Cole and his family. Cole learned songs in languages other than English by rote. In Will Friedwalds well-chosen words, he could do almost anything that any other artist could do, but no one else could do what he did.. 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. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Oxford Music Online. First Look: Could PinkPantheress or The Weeknd challenge Miley for Number 1? This page was last edited on 11 November 2022, at 01:27. They tried a couple of places, including Beverly Hills, but ultimately wanted somewhere away from the paparazzi and rowdy fans. The Songwriters Hall of Fame's ongoing mission is to celebrate and honor the contributions and legacies of songwriters of all genres of music while developing and nurturing the next generation of songwriters through Master Sessions, songwriting craft forums, scholarships and digital initiatives. "Madison Avenue," Cole said, "is afraid of the dark. Throughout the 1950s, Cole continued to rack up hit after hit, including "Smile," "Pretend," "A Blossom Fell," "If I May." There, his father became a minister; Nat's mother, Perlina, was the church organist. Still later, in high school, he organized a 14-piece band with himself as leader and pianist. Handy in the movie about the composers life, St. Record of the Year. His deep, smooth voice remains one of the most recognizable on record, while his pop material and sentimental arrangements appealed to mainstream tastes. Their real estate agent knew about this racist rule and circumvented it by hiring a light-skinned Black woman to buy the place for the Coles with a $6,000 down payment. Yet despite this and other close encounters with the evils of racism, Cole remained outwardly unfazed and his white fans staunchly loyal. The couple's lavish Harlem wedding took place only six days after Cole and Robinson's divorce was finalized. Evan Tyrone Martin's homage to the late beloved singer continues with a holiday tribute show, "An Unforgettable Nat King Cole Christmas," which Martin will perform at the Marriott Theatre on . When the drummer never showed up, the quartet became a trio. In 1956, "The Nat King Cole Show" was the first of its kind for a known Black performer. His family relocated to Chicago when he was very young, and both of his parents were active church members. The trumpet-style piano of Hines, who played on Louis Armstrongs hugely influential 1928 recordings, combined darting, horn-like, right-hand solo lines played in octaves with angular left-hand accompanying patterns. Sold for 23.50 USD on 11 Mar 2022 (4 bids) 1. His older brother, Eddie Coles, a bassist, soon joined Nat's band and they first recorded in 1936 under Eddie's name. Cole later retooled the concept album into an off-Broadway show, I'm With You. 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. 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. 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. UK. According to Reel Rundown, Nat King Cole never planned to be the first Black man to host his own television program, but when he was offered the gig, he knew its significance. He and his first wife, Nadine Robinson,. 49, no. When they came upon a house in Hancock Park, they agreed that they had found their future home. (1944) has lost none of its freshness eight decades later. Legend has it that, one night, a drunk customer demanded that the group sing. The Nat King Cole Story [45rpm 200g Vinyl] by Nat King Cole (Vinyl, Jan-2011, 5 Discs, Analogue Productions) Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP legal counsel at the time, even saw Cole as an "Uncle Tom." 29 offers from $2.24. Cole performed a posthumous "virtual" duet with his daughter, recording star Natalie Cole, for the title track of the 1991 Grammy Awardwinning album Unforgettable . 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. His keyboarding had actually begun at age four, when he picked out Yes, We Have No Bananas, on the family piano. Sell it yourself. While Cole certainly had a more understated public role in the Civil Rights Movement, he was apparently quite outspoken in private among his high-profile friends, including Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. 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. 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. Had Cole continued to lead the trio, he would be generally acknowledged as one of the most important jazz pianists of the 20th century. Shared with: Lee Gillette (Producer) For the album "The Nat King Cole Story". Record Labels Nat King Cole Recordings Sold to Universal Music Group By Chris Eggertsen . 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. 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. Subjected to all the barriers of the Jim Crow era, Cole's unprecedented success helped advance Black Americans' role in media, and while he never considered himself an activist, he would directly challenge segregation and contribute to the Civil Rights Movement. The first was in 1946 with the King Cole Trio. ", 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. His family later moved north to Chicago, where he grew up. By the 1950s, he worked almost exclusively as a singer, with such notable arrangers as Nelson Riddle and Billy May providing lush orchestral accompaniment. As if in recognition of the fact, his health began to deteriorate in the fall of 1964. He churned out song after song, including classics like "Unforgettable" and "Mona Lisa." 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. Initially, Cole refused, replying, "We don't sing." Their life there was riddled with threats and harassment, including someone sticking a sign in their yard that said "N*****Heaven," a shot being fired into their home, firecrackers being placed in rose bushes, and their dog being poisoned. Born . In addition to being a skilled pianist, famous vocalist, and likable stage personality, according to Britannica, Cole also spent some time acting. In 1955, he acted as himself in a short biographical film,The Nat "King" Cole Musical Story, whichcovered his musical career and life story. 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. Marianne Ruuth writes how it was his mom who convinced his father to allow him to look for work as a jazz pianist on weeknights, so long as he continued playing for the church. Cole was only 17. Though they recorded for the same label and worked with many of the same arrangers, the two men had little in common as singers. According toThe Guardian,cigarette smoking was not only "the epitome of cool and glamour," but it was also cheap and accessible. Displaying items, You can list a specific format by selecting one here, 78 RPM RECORD CAPITOL 2130 NAT KING COLE FUNNY, Vintage King Cole Trio 78rpm 4 Album Set Capitol Records, Capital presents THE KING COLE TRIO 78 RPM RECORDS Vol 1 and 2 BD-8 BD-29 Debut, The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole Trio - Capital 15201 - vintage 78rpm record, two vintage Nat King Cole Christmas songs 78rpm records - Frosty the Snow Man, Nat King Cole 78 RPM Capitol The Christmas Song My Two Front Teeth 1954 10" 2955, The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole Trio - Capital 311 - vintage 78rpm record, (4) 78 rpm 10" records Nat King Cole Capitol 1808-1501-2346-2687 (UNFORGETTABLE), King Cole Trio 78rpm Set Capitol Records #BD 8 New Old Stock, unopened, NAT "KING" COLE : THE CHRISTMAS SONG / NATURE BOY. He could not act well enough to launch a secondary film career like that of Sinatra or appear in a Broadway musical, his other thwarted ambition, and the fast-growing popularity of rock n roll was making him sound old-fashioned by comparison with Elvis Presley and the other teen-oriented acts who had come to dominate Americas airwaves. Nat King Cole albums and discography on AllMusic including all best, old, and new album information. 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. Sampled by Susan Boyle feat Nat King Cole [sampled] When I Grow Too Old to Dream. The Best of the Nat King Cole Trio: The Vocal Classics 1942-46. 1 spot on of the pop charts, his most successful record yet. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. On February 15, 1965, Cole died at the age of 45. Finally, in 1960, almost 15 years after that first recording, Nat King Cole redid the holiday classic when his voice was "at its smokiest." 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." @ 2023 - Recording Academy. Cole was hired as the pianist for a jazz quartet that would play at the Swanee Inn nearHollywood, as told by uDiscover Music. They were married in Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and had five children: daughter Natalie was born in 1950, followed by adoption of Carol (the daughter of Maria's sister, born in 1944) and a son Nat Kelly Cole (born in 1959), who died in 1995 at 36. Twin girls Casey and Timolin were born in 1961. He occasionally revisited his jazz roots, as on the outstanding album After Midnight (1956), which proved that Coles piano skills had not diminished. Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. He passed away. Cole grew up in Chicago, where, by age 12, he sang and played organ in the church where his father was pastor. With his immense popularity, his first couple of roles in the 1940s were guest appearances that had him "largely playing some version of himself," as told by Biography. 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. The cancellation would turn out to be the permanent end of his career. Cole was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990, and in 1997 was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame. 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. In 1958, Cole went to Havana, Cuba, to record Cole Espaol, an album sung entirely in Spanish. The Guardian reported how someone came at Cole's knees and knocked him to the ground, injuring his back. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. They found their greatest success, however, when Cole began doubling as a solo singer. Nat King Cole 12.12.60 9 12 Wks 01.07.23 38 Ramblin' Rose Nat King Cole 08.04.62 . He was, without a doubt, a pioneer, but that doesn't mean his many successes came without struggles. They were also regular performers at clubs. At that point of his career, he was a highly recognized singer. A fourth member of the group who had participated in the plot was later arrested in connection with the act. 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