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Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as '''Nat King Cole''' ( March 17 , 1919 – February 15 , 1965 ) was a popular American Singer , Songwriter , and Jazz pianist. He first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist, then switched his emphasis to singing, becoming one of the most popular and best-known singers of the 1950s. CHILDHOOD AND CHICAGO He was born Nathaniel Adams Coles in in the Baptist church. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois while he was still a child. There, his father became a minister; Nat's mother Perlina was the church organist. Nat learned to play the Organ from his mother until the age of 12, when he began formal lessons. His first performance, at age four, was of '' Yes, We Have No Bananas .'' He learned not only Jazz and Gospel Music , but European Classical Music as well, performing, as he said, "from Johann Sebastian Bach to Sergei Rachmaninoff ." The family lived in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. Nat would sneak out of the house and hang outside the clubs, listening to artists such as Louis Armstrong , Earl "Fatha" Hines , and Jimmie Noone . He participated in Walter Dyett 's renowned music program at DuSable High School . Inspired by the playing of Earl Hines , Cole began his performing career in the mid 1930s while he was still a teenager, and adopted the name "Nat Cole". His older brother, Eddie Coles, a Bassist , soon joined Nat's band and they first recorded in 1936 under Eddie's name. They were also regular performers at clubs. In fact, Nat got his nickname "King" performing at one jazz club, a nickname presumably reinforced by the otherwise-unrelated nursery rhyme about Old King Cole . He was also a Pianist in a national touring revival of Ragtime and Broadway Theatre legend, Eubie Blake 's revue, "Shuffle Along". When it suddenly failed in Long Beach, California , Cole decided to remain there. LOS ANGELES AND THE KING COLE TRIO Nat Cole and three other musicians formed the "King Cole Swingers" in Long Beach and played in a number of local bars before getting a gig on the Long Beach Pike for $90 per week. Nat married a dancer Nadine Robinson, who was also with ''Shuffle Along'', and moved to Los Angeles where he formed the Nat King Cole Trio. The trio consisted of Nat on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass. The trio played in Los Angeles throughout the late 1930s and recorded many radio transcriptions. Nat's role was that of piano player and leader of the combo. He didn't begin his singing career until a patron asked Nat to sing "Sweet Lorraine," at a nightclub in Los Angeles. Nat ignored the request. The patron said, "What's the matter, don't you know it?" Nat said, "Sure, I know it. But I'm a piano-player, not a singer." The irritated patron went to the owner of the club and complained. Soon the owner came to Nat and said, "He's one of our best customers. Every night he comes in and spends 2 or 3 dollars. If he wants to hear "Sweet Lorraine," he's going to hear "Sweet Lorraine." And so, Nat's singing career was born. In 1940 "Sweet Lorraine," written in 1928, became Nat's first hit. Nat's subdued style contrasted well with the belting approach of most jazz singers. During World War II , Wesley Prince left the group and Cole replaced him with Johnny Miller . The King Cole Trio signed with the fledgling Capitol Records in 1943 and stayed with the recording company for the rest of Cole's career. Revenues from Cole's record sales fueled much of Capitol Records' success during this period, and are believed to have played a significant role in financing the distinctive Capitol Records building on Hollywood And Vine , in Los Angeles . Completed in 1956, it was the world's first circular office building and became known as "the house that Nat built." Cole was considered a leading jazz pianist, appearing, for example, in the first Jazz At The Philharmonic concerts (credited on the Mercury Record labels as "Shorty Nadine," apparently derived from the name of his wife at the time). His revolutionary lineup of piano, guitar and bass in the time of the big bands became a popular set up for a jazz trio. It was emulated by many musicians, among them Art Tatum , Erroll Garner , Oscar Peterson , Ahmad Jamal , Tommy Flanagan and blues pianists Charles Brown and Ray Charles . He also performed as a pianist on sessions with Lester Young , Red Callender , and Lionel Hampton . EARLY SINGING CAREER Cole's first mainstream vocal hit was his 1943 recording of one of his compositions, " Straighten Up And Fly Right ", based on a black Folk Tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon. Johnny Mercer invited him to record it for the fledgling Capitol Records label. It sold over 500,000 copies, and proved that folk-based material could appeal to a wide audience. Although Nat would never be considered a rocker, the song can be seen as anticipating the First Rock And Roll Record s. Indeed, Bo Diddley , who performed similar transformations of folk material, counted Cole as an influence. Beginning in the late " ( 1951 ). 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 , for instance, he recorded an all-jazz album, '' After Midnight ''. , aged 10 (1957).]] MAKING TELEVISION HISTORY On 5 November 1956 , ''The Nat King Cole Show'' debuted on NBC-TV. While commentators have often erroneously hailed Cole as the first African-American to host a network television show — an honor belonging to jazz pianist and singer Hazel Scott in 1950 — the Cole program was the first of its kind hosted by a star of Nat Cole's magnitude. Initially begun as a 15-minute show on Monday night, the show was expanded to a half hour in July 1957. Despite the efforts of NBC, as well as many of Cole's industry colleagues (beginning with Frankie Laine , who was the first white singer to break the "color barrier" by appearing as a guest on a black entertainer's show) -- most of whom, such as Ella Fitzgerald , Harry Belafonte , Mel Tormé , Peggy Lee , and Eartha Kitt — worked for industry scale in order to help the show save money, ''The Nat King Cole Show'' was ultimately done in by a lack of national sponsorship. Companies such as Rheingold Beer assumed regional sponsorship of the show, but a national sponsor never appeared. The last episode of ''The Nat King Cole Show'' aired 17 December 1957 . Cole had survived for over a year, and it was he, not NBC, who ultimately decided to pull the plug on the show. NBC, as well as Cole himself, had been operating at an extreme financial loss. Commenting on the lack of sponsorship his show received, Cole quipped shortly after its demise, "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark." This statement, plus the passing of time, has fueled the urban legend that Cole's show had to close down despite enormous popularity. In fact, the Cole program was routinely beaten by the competition at ABC , then riding high with its travel and western shows. In addition, musical variety series have always been risky enterprises with a fickle public; among the one-season casualties are Frank Sinatra in 1957, Judy Garland in 1963 and Julie Andrews in 1972. CANCELLATION & RACISM The TV show was ultimately cancelled because potential sponsors shied away from showcasing a black artist. Cole fought Racism all his life and refused to perform in Segregated venues. In 1956, he was assaulted on stage while singing the song "Little Girl" in Birmingham, Alabama by members of the White Citizens' Council who apparently were attempting to kidnap him. Cole completed the performance despite injuries, but never again performed in the South . 1950'S AND BEYOND 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 . 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''. Jenkins arranged "Love Is the Thing", #1 on the album charts in April 1957. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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