Nat King Cole biography

Synopsis

Early Years

Known for his smooth and well-articulated vocal style, Nat King Cole actually started out as a piano man. He first learned to play around the age of four with help from his mother, a church choir director. The son of a Baptist pastor, Cole may have started out playing religious music.

In his early teens, Cole had formal classical piano training. He eventually abandoned classical for his other musical passion—jazz. Earl Hines, a leader of modern jazz, was one of Cole's biggest inspirations. At 15, he dropped out of school to become a jazz pianist full time. Cole joined forces with his brother Eddie for a time, which led to his first professional recordings in 1936. Later he joined a national tour for the musical revue Shuffle Along as a pianist.

The following year, Cole started to put together what would become the King Cole Trio, the name being a play on the children's nursery rhyme. They toured extensively and finally landed on the charts in 1943 with "That Ain't Right," penned by Cole. "Straighten Up and Fly Right," inspired by one of his father's sermons, became another hit for the group in 1944. The trio continued its rise to the top with such pop hits as the holiday classic "The Christmas Song" and the ballad "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons."

Pop Vocalist

By the 1950s, Nat King Cole emerged as a popular solo performer. He scored numerous hits, with such songs as "Nature Boy," "Mona Lisa," "Too Young, " and "Unforgettable." In the studio, Cole got to work with some of the country's top talent, including Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, and famous arrangers such as Nelson Riddle. He also met and befriended other stars of the era, including popular crooner Frank Sinatra.

As an African American performer, Cole struggled to find his place in the civil rights movement. He had encountered racism firsthand, especially while touring in the South. In 1956, Cole had been attacked by white supremacists during a mixed race performance in Alabama. He was rebuked by other African Americans, however, for his less-than-supportive comments about racial integration made after the show. Cole basically took the stance that he was an entertainer, not an activist.

Cole's presence on the record charts dwindled in the late 1950s. But this decline did not last long. His career returned to top form in the early 1960s with the country-influenced hit "Rambin' Rose" and such light-hearted fare as "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer."

Television and Films

Cole made television history in 1956 when he became the first African-American to host his own national program. The Nat "King" Cole Show featured many of the leading performers of the day, including Count Basie, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Tony Bennett. Unfortunately the series did not last long, going off the air in December 1957. Cole blamed the show's demise on the lack of a national sponsor. The sponsorship problem has been seen as a reflection of the racial issues of the times with no company seemingly wanting to back a program that featured African-American entertainers.

On the big screen, Cole had first started out in small roles in 1940s, largely playing some version of himself. He landed some sizable parts in the late 1950s, appearing in the Errol Flynn drama Istanbul and the war drama China Gate. His only major starring role came in 1958's St. Louis Blues, in which he got to play blues great W. C. Handy.

Final Days

In 1964, Cole discovered that he had lung cancer. He succumbed to the disease few months later on February 15, 1965. He was only 45 years old. A who's who of the entertainment world, including Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, and Jack Benny, turned out to say good-bye to the legendary singer and pianist at his funeral a few days later in Los Angeles.

After his death, Cole's music has remained popular, finding its way onto countless film and television soundtracks. His daughter Natalie has also carried on the family profession, becoming a successful singer in her own right. In 1991, she helped her father achieve a posthumous hit. Natalie Cole recorded his hit "Unforgettable" and put their vocals together as a duet.

Personal Life

Cole married for the first time when he was only 17. He and first wife Nadine Robinson divorced in 1948. Only a short time later, Cole married singer Maria Hawkins Ellington whom he raised five children, four of their own and a daughter they adopted from a family member.

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