Nat King Cole

Musician

• Born: March 17, 1919
• Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama
• Died: February 15, 1965
• Place of death: Santa Monica, California

Singer, musician, and entertainer

Best known as a singer of romantic ballads and popular songs, Cole was one of the most popular African American entertainers in the world. He was also an innovative jazz pianist and arranger and the first African American to star in his own network television show.

Areas of achievement: Music: jazz; Music: pop; Radio and television

Early Life

Nat King Cole was born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama, to Edward and Perlina Coles. He had two older sisters, Eddie Mae and Evelina, and an older brother, Edward. Eddie Mae died from pneumonia in 1925 and two younger brothers, Isaac and Lionel, were born in 1927 and 1931. When Cole was five, the family moved to the South Side of Chicago and settled in the African American Bronzeville neighborhood. Cole’s father embarked on a successful career as a Baptist minister.

Cole demonstrated his musical talent early on, teaching himself to perform “Yes! We Have No Bananas” on the piano at the age of four. His mother was his first piano teacher. Cole’s brother Eddie also was an important musical influence, especially his singing style. The Cole brothers were enamored with jazz music, of which their father disapproved on moral grounds.

Cole participated in a number of Bud Billiken Club children’s events arranged by Robert S. Abbott, the publisher of the African American newspaper The Chicago Defender. Cole first heard Duke Ellington, one of his major musical influences, perform at a Billiken picnic in 1931. That same year, he got to see his favorite pianist, Earl Hines, in a Billiken concert at the Regal Theater. Cole won a Thanksgiving turkey in the piano contest that followed. Around this time he began to sneak out at night, meeting musician friends outside nightclubs to hear some of the great jazz musicians of the era performing inside.

In 1933, Cole entered Wendell Phillips High School, where he studied music with Walter Dyett, a noted teacher of jazz musicians. Cole organized his first band, the Royal Dukes, the following year and began to gain recognition when he was featured in The Chicago Defender. He dropped out of school in 1935 to focus on his musical career. By this time, Cole had dropped the s from his last name. He spent afternoons rehearsing his band and nights jamming with musicians including Louis Armstrong, Les Paul, and Art Tatum. That September, Cole took on his idol Hines in a “battle of rhythm” at the Savoy Ballroom. Hines was stunned by the tremendous response to Cole’s performance.

In 1937, Cole left Chicago with the touring company of Shuffle Along, Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle’s African American musical. He married Nadine Robinson, a dancer in the company, that year. They settled in Southern California after the tour brought them there. He toiled in relative obscurity for several years while honing his craft and forging a personal style of singing and playing the piano that would make him an international star.

Life’s Work

In Los Angeles, Cole formed a trio with bassist Wesley Prince and guitarist Oscar Moore. They performed in clubs there and also in Chicago and New York City. The Nat King Cole Trio was built around Cole’s brilliance at the piano and his vocal style, as well as Moore’s outstanding guitar playing. Cole had developed into a special singer capable of delivering romantic ballads and novelty swing tunes in a uniquely understated fashion. The trio enjoyed only modest success recording radio transcriptions for broadcast before signing with Capitol Records, then a fledgling label, in November of 1943. Cole’s composition “Straighten Up and Fly Right” was among the group’s first recordings for Capitol and it was a smash hit, reaching number three on the U.S. pop chart and selling half a million copies in 1944. Cole’s piano playing—and the trio—ultimately faded into the background as he became known as a singer of soft, tender ballads.

In 1946, Cole met a young singer named Maria Ellington, a widow of the recent war. They fell in love almost instantly, and his first wife filed for divorce after he told her about the romance. That winter, Cole had two more smash hits with “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” and his first recording of “The Christmas Song,” which became a holiday classic. Cole and Ellington were married in a lavish and well-publicized wedding in New York City in April of 1948. Around the same time, Cole’s recording of a song called “Nature Boy” was released. The recording featured Cole’s vocals over strings and woodwinds, dispensing with the trio altogether. The treatment was perfect for the song, which has a haunting melody and minor chords. “Nature Boy” was unlike anything else in popular music at the time, and it caused a major sensation. Cole became perhaps the most famous African American entertainer in America.

Cole purchased a house in the upscale white Hancock Park section of Los Angeles, causing uproar among the local residents. The city had strict housing covenants preventing minorities from buying homes in white neighborhoods. Cole was prepared to challenge the covenants in court, but opposition was dropped before it became necessary. After he moved in, however, his home was vandalized and gunshots were fired through one of the windows. Cole continued to struggle against racism and segregation, especially on tours of the South and during his many engagements in Las Vegas. Although he was rarely outspoken about civil rights, Cole made his position clear with financial support for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Montgomery bus boycott. Cole also made many small gestures on behalf of mistreated friends and sued several hotels after they refused to give him rooms.

In 1950, the Coles had their first daughter, Stephanie Maria, later known as Natalie. That year, Cole recorded “Mona Lisa” for the film Captain Carey, USA. “Mona Lisa” was yet another triumph for Cole, reaching number one on the Billboard singles chart and selling a million copies that year. It was the top-selling record of Cole’s career. The following year, he was charged with unpaid federal taxes. He also had another hit with “Unforgettable,” a song with which he remained closely associated.

In 1956, Cole was on a difficult tour of the South when members of the White Citizens Council attacked him onstage during a concert for an all-white audience in Birmingham, Alabama. Cole was injured during the attack and could perform only briefly for the African American audience that was waiting to see him outside. The event generated considerable sympathy for Cole, but many African Americans were upset that he was still willing to play for segregated audiences. Cole steadfastly maintained that he did not support segregation but that it was his job to entertain anyone and everyone who wanted to hear him sing, even if it meant accepting such practices.

Cole tried to break into television for several years, and NBC finally gave him a show in 1957. He was the first African American to host his own network program. The show was popular but ultimately failed because it was unable to attract a national sponsor. Cole also took to acting, starring as W. C. Handy in the film St. Louis Blues. His performance was panned critically and the film was not a commercial success. Cole never had another starring role.

In 1960, Cole campaigned for presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, and the two became friends. Cole performed at Kennedy’s inauguration. The singer enjoyed his final hits with “Ramblin’ Rose” in 1962 and “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer” in 1963. He toured in Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Cole fell gravely ill in 1964. He had been a heavy smoker for most of his life, even believing that cigarettes helped enhance the sound of his voice. He died of complications from lung cancer at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, on February 15, 1965.

Significance

Cole achieved a level of popularity and success that was nearly unheard-of by African American performers before him. He helped to open doors of mainstream music to other African American entertainers. Cole also was the first African American to host his own television show. He produced some of the biggest hit records of the 1940’s and 1950’s and helped to transform Capitol Records from a fledgling label to one of the largest in the industry. Although Cole is primarily remembered as a singer, he also was an innovative and influential jazz pianist and arranger. Other musicians, notably Diana Krall in the late 1990’s, have found success borrowing heavily from his trio format and repertoire. Cole’s daughter Natalie released an album titled Unforgettable in 1991, on which she sang alongside her late father with new backing tracks through recording-studio technology. The album was a tremendous critical and commercial success, introducing Cole’s music to a new generation of fans.

Bibliography

Cole, Natalie, with Digby Diehl. Angel on My Shoulder. New York: Warner Books, 2000. This memoir by Cole’s daughter provides insight into his family life and her creation of the Unforgettable album.

Epstein, Daniel Mark. Nat King Cole. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2000. Epstein’s work is the definitive Cole biography. It is thoroughly researched and involved the participation of Maria Cole and other family members.

Gourse, Leslie. Unforgettable: The Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991. This worthwhile Cole biography includes excellent photographs as well as a discography.

Schuller, Gunther. “Small Groups.” In The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 1930-1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Includes a section on the Nat King Cole Trio. Schuller provides an important appreciation and analysis of Cole’s importance as a jazz pianist and arranger.