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Nat King Cole

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Nat King Cole was born in 1919 as Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama. He grew up in Chicago, where his father was a Baptist minister and his mother a church organist. She taught him to play the organ. From the age of twelve he had piano lessons in jazz, gospel and classical music. At the end of the 1930s he began as a jazz pianist and formed the King Cole Trio. In the 1940s it was the best-selling act on the label Capitol Records, and the only Black act there. The trio was regarded as a model for later small jazz bands.

Music and breakthrough

Straighten Up and Fly Right from 1943 is among the well-known songs of that period. From 1950 Cole opted for a career as a solo singer. He then had hits such as Unforgettable, Mona Lisa, Nature Boy, When I Fall in Love and Smile. His Christmas album The Christmas Song from 1960 became the best-selling Christmas album of that decade. He also recorded records in Spanish, such as Cole español.

Influence

From 1956 to 1957 he hosted The Nat King Cole Show, the first national television programme on NBC with a Black host. Despite his success he faced severe discrimination. He was a member of the NAACP and took part in the March on Washington in 1963. His singing is warm and calm, and his piano playing is full of jazz. In this way he linked the world of jazz with that of pop. He died in 1965. His daughter Natalie Cole sang his songs in 1991 on Unforgettable... with Love.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Straighten Up and Fly Right. Notice the relaxed singing and how the small ensemble, with few instruments, still swings.

Discography

Studio albums

Other work

In School of Rock

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See also

Categories: ArtistsVocal jazzSwing and big band