The brothers were also hired to perform in the "revival of the all-black Broadway musical revue Shuffle Along" for their Chicago stop. There were several covers of Nat Cole's original record in the 1940s. 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. And if I see anybody undesirable coming in here, I'll be the first to complain.". Instead, his most publicized relationship was his marriage to Maria Hawkins Ellington. Nat King Cole 78rpm Single 10-inch Capitol Records #1010 Mona Lisa. The show ultimately failed due to its inability to attract national sponsors because the program was hosted by a black person. In July 1948, Nat King Cole and his new wife began house-hunting, as described by Curbed. Perhaps her single most popular work to date, was her number one Elektra recording last year of Unforgettable, one of her fathers biggest-selling hits of all. Be the first to find out about GRAMMY nominees, winners, important news, and events, How To Watch The 2023 GRAMMYs & Live Red Carpet, ARTIST/RECORD LABEL/MEDIA REGISTRATION (OEP). 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.". By the start of the 1960s, Cole was only getting more popular. 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). 1 spot on of the pop charts, his most successful record yet. Missing, however, is the element of contrast that Cole supplied when he started singing with the trio. "I think it was too early," Kitt said, "to show ourselves off as intelligent people."[2]. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Despite these horrific acts, the Coles never wavered, and Nat King Cole would live in his Hancock Park home until his death. Cole praised NBC for its support and directly blamed the advertising industry. 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. 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. 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 . The prejudices of the era in which Cole lived hindered his potential for even greater stardom. Died Only one person other than Cole's wife would get to visit Cole before he died, and that was comedian Jack Benny. . Capitol. I think I've finally got this cancer licked.". The classic "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" was popularized by Cole in the late 1940s. The attack began at the rear of the auditorium when three men ran down the aisles towards Cole and his band. 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). Nat "King" Cole. He first recorded with a full orchestra (the trio serving as rhythm section) in 1946 for The Christmas Song, a holiday standard and one of Coles biggest-selling recordings. His keyboarding had actually begun at age four, when he picked out Yes, We Have No Bananas, on the family piano. Soon, he graduated to playing other characters, such as his roles inIstanbulandChina Gate. March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, AL. He churned out song after song, including classics like "Unforgettable" and "Mona Lisa." His father was a preacher in the Baptist church. His birth date was on Saint Patrick's Day in 1919. 4th Annual GRAMMY Awards. 2nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. It's rare for songs to withstand the test of time and become classics. It is tragically ironic that a talented singer would partake in an activity that damages one's lungs and vocals. 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. (via NewsOne). In a few short years, Cole dropped out of school at 15 years old to focus solely on pursuing a career in music. All GRAMMY Awards and Nominations for Nat "King" Cole. His talents extended beyond singing and piano playing: he excelled as a relaxed and humorous stage personality, and he was also a capable actor, evidenced by his performances in the films Istanbul (1957), China Gate (1957), Night of the Quarter Moon (1959), and Cat Ballou (1965); he also played himself in The Nat King Cole Musical Story (1955) and portrayed blues legend W.C. An influence on jazz pianists such as Oscar Peterson, Cole was known for a compact, syncopated piano style with clean, spare, melodic phrases. 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. His older brother, Eddie Coles, a bassist, soon joined Nat's band and they first recorded in 1936 under Eddie's name. His otherwise smooth-textured voice had a faintly gravelly quality heightened by his chain smoking, and he sang with tuning-fork intonation and lapidary enunciation, though his drawn-out pronunciation of certain vowels, the long i of I and my in particular, was so idiosyncratic that Sammy Davis Jr. exaggerated it to witty effect in his uncanny impersonation of Cole (which can be viewed on YouTube). 10731074, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 05:16. Equally skilled as a jazz pianist and a middle-of-the-road pop crooner, Cole would still be remembered with affection today if he only had one of those musical identities. He also appeared in The Nat King Cole Story, China Gate, and The Blue Gardenia (1953). Record Labels Nat King Cole Recordings Sold to Universal Music Group By Chris Eggertsen . In addition to being an incomparable lyricist, Mercer was also a shrewd talent scout, and he sensed that Coles singing was capable of appealing to white listeners as well as black ones (the trio had previously recorded for Deccas Sepia Series of race records that were specifically marketed to urban blacks). 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. Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. Cole Espanol: Greatest Hits by Nat King Cole (Record, 2018) (5) $18.48 New. 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. 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. At the same time, though, Cole wasn't an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement initially. On August 23, 1956, Cole spoke at the Republican National Convention in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California. Naxos of America / OKeh Records AllMusic Quiz. 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's family moved to Chicago, Illinois, while he was still a child. In the days leading up to Cole's death, he was able to go on short drives with his wife and visit his children at their family home in Hancock Park. For a number of these recordings, the orchestral accompaniment was directed and arranged by the gifted Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins during the early 60s. One of the men was identified to be a member of the white supremacist group White Citizens' Council. He died on February 15, 1965, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California and his funeral was held in Los Angeles. Initially begun as a 15-minute show on Monday night, the show was expanded to a half hour in July 1957. That song, along with "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer," earned him two top 10 hits on the Billboard charts. By Robert Pace 6:00 AM PDT, June 25, 2013. Cat Ballou (1965), his final film, was released several months after his death. Cole later retooled the concept album into an off-Broadway show, I'm With You. Might Cole have undergone a similar professional revival had he not died prematurely? Lullaby of Harlem. Throughout the 1950s, Cole continued to rack up hit after hit, including "Smile," "Pretend," "A Blossom Fell," "If I May." Nat would sneak out of the house and hang outside the Chicago jazz clubs, listening to artists such as Louis Armstrong, Earl "Fatha" Hines, and Jimmie Noone. When I Fall in Love: The One and Only Nat King Cole. 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. Handy in the movie about the composers life, St. Basin Street Revue. AllMusic. 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. When the drummer never showed up, the quartet became a trio. According toThe Guardian,cigarette smoking was not only "the epitome of cool and glamour," but it was also cheap and accessible. Booklet Volumes 3 and 4 contain 3 shellac records. 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. A heavy smoker, Cole died of lung cancer at age 45. The racist mob never showed up, resulting in the smaller-scale attack that transpired. The failure of The Nat King Cole Show left Cole feeling both frustrated and restless, but his options were limited. 16.57. Why should they attack me?" 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 . Parts of our site will not function correctly without them. 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. 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