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Biography of Nat ColeName: Nat ColeBirth Date: March 17, 1919 Death Date: 1965 Place of Birth: Montgomery, Alabama, United States Nationality: American Gender: Male Occupations: musician, singer, pianist Nat Cole The American musician Nat Cole (Nathaniel Adams Coles; 1919-1965) was beloved by millions as a singer of popular songs, but his forte was piano, in the "cool" jazz idiom.Nathaniel Adams Coles, the youngest son of the Reverend Edwards Coles and Perlina (Adams) Coles, was born on March 17, 1917 (St. Patrick's Day), in Montgomery, Alabama. Cole and his family were moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1921 by his father, who served as pastor of the Truelight Spiritual Temple on the South Side of Chicago. By the time he reached the age of 12, Cole was playing the organ and singing in the choir of his father's church under his mother's choir direction.He took piano lessons "mostly to learn to read, you know. I could play more piano than the teacher." Infatuated with show business, Cole formed his own big band, the Rogues of Rhythm, joined by his older brother Eddie, previously bassist with …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…of the right key for a song meant everything, and the second being that smoking helps a singer get a husky sound in his voice that the audience loves--"so, if you want to sing, keep on smoking."When Cole died, a consummate jazz artist and a voice millions knew as the voice of a friend was irreplaceably lost to the world.On March 6, 2000 Cole was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influences category. The category includes artists whose music predates rock and roll, but who inspired and had a profound effect on rock and roll music. Further Reading A comprehensive, well-researched biography is Daniel Mark Epstein, Nat King Cole (1999). Additional information on Nat "King" Cole can be found in Look (April 19, 1955); Newsweek (August 12, 1946); Time (July 30, 1951); Saturday Evening Post (July 17, 1954); ASCAP Biographical Dictionary of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (1952); and Who Is Who in Music (1951). |