Nat King Cole

Nat "King" Cole (March 17, 1917 - February 15, 1965) was born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, a singer and jazz musician. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois while he was still a young child.

He began recording in 1936, working with his brother, Eddie Coles[?]. In spite of this, Cole did not achieve widespread popularity until Sweet Lorraine in 1940 (see 1940 in music). During the 1940s he sang and played with the King Cole Trio, which consisted of Nat on Piano, Oscar Moore[?] on Guitar, and Wesley Prince or Johnny Miller on Bass.

Virtually unique at the time, Cole reached out to mainstream audiences with the #1 hit Mona Lisa in 1950. This began a new phase in his career, primarily as a pop balladeer, though he never totally ignored his roots in jazz.

In 1948 Cole purchased a house in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The property owners association told Cole they didn't want any undesireables moving in. Cole retorted "Neither do I. And if I see anybody undesireable coming in here, I'll be the first to complain."

He married Maria Ellington and had several children. His daughter, Natalie Cole[?] and his younger brother, Freddie Cole[?] are both singers.

Nat King Cole died of lung cancer in 1965 and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California, USA.

Notable Songs

Straighten Up and Fly Right

Sweet Lorraine

Nature Boy

Mona Lisa

Lush Life

Ramblin' Rose

Unforgettable