Nat King Cole
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- For other uses, see King Cole (disambiguation).
Nat King Cole
<tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3"> Nat King Cole in The Blue Gardenia (1953) </td></tr>
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| Background information
<tr><td>Birth name</td><td colspan="2">Nathaniel Adams Coles</td></tr><tr><td>Born</td><td colspan="2">March 17, 1919, Montgomery, Alabama, United States</td></tr><tr><td>Died</td><td colspan="2">February 15, 1965</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Jazz</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1930s-1965</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Capitol</td></tr> |
Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965) was a popular American singer, songwriter, and jazz pianist.
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[edit] Childhood and Chicago
Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery, Alabama on St. Patrick's Day in 1919 . His father was a butcher and a deacon 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, which was famous in the 1920s for its nightlife and jazz clubs. 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 Fatha 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". Cole also was 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.
[edit] 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.
Cole did not achieve widespread popularity until "Sweet Lorraine" in 1940. Although he sang ballads with the trio, he was shy about his voice. While Cole prided himself on his diction, he never considered himself a strong singer. His subdued style, however, 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. By the 1950s, Cole's popularity was so great that the Capitol Records building, on Hollywood and Vine, was sometimes referred to as "The House that Nat Built".
Cole was considered a leading jazz pianist, appearing, for example, in the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. 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.
[edit] Politics
On August 23, 1956, Cole spoke at the Republican National Convention in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California. He was also present at the Democratic National Convention in 1960, to throw his support behind President John F. Kennedy. Cole was also among the dozens of entertainers recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the Kennedy Inaugural gala in 1961. Nat King Cole frequently consulted with President Kennedy (and later President Johnson) on the issue of civil rights. Yet he was dogged by critics, who felt he shied away from controversy when it came to the civil rights issue. Among the most notable was Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who was upset that Cole didn't take stronger action after being attacked on stage by white supremacists in 1956 (see below).
[edit] 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 records. Indeed, Bo Diddley, who performed similar transformations of folk material, counted Cole as an influence.
Beginning in the late 1940s, Cole began recording and performing more pop-oriented material for mainstream audiences, often accompanied by a string orchestra. His stature as a popular icon was cemented during this period by hits such as "The Christmas Song" (1946), "Nature Boy" (1948), "Mona Lisa" (1950), "Too Young" (the #1 song in 1951)[1], and his signature tune "Unforgettable" (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. In 1991, Mosaic Records released the Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio, consisting of 349 songs. 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 Vine Street in Los Angeles. Completed in 1956, it was the world's first circular office building and became known as "the house that Nat built." Image:Billycole.JPG
Throughout the 1950s Cole continued to rack up hit after hit, including "Smile", "Pretend", "A Blossom Fell", "If I May" and many others. 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.
In 1958, Cole went to Havana, Cuba to record "Cole Español", an album sung entirely in Spanish. The album was so popular in Latin America as well as in the USA, that two others in the same vein followed: "A Mis Amigos" (sung in Spanish and Portuguese) in 1959, and "More Cole Español" in 1962. "A Mis Amigos" contains the Venezuelan hit "Ansiedad," whose lyrics Cole had learned while performing in Caracas in 1958. Cole learned songs in languages other than English by rote.
The change in musical tastes during the late 1950s meant that Cole's ballad singing did not sell well with younger listeners, despite a successful stab at rock n' roll with "Send For Me" (peaked at #6 pop). Along with his contemporaries Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra & Tony Bennett, Cole found that the pop singles chart had been almost entirely taken over by youth oriented acts. In 1960, Nat's longtime collaborator Nelson Riddle left Capitol Records for Frank Sinatra's newly formed Reprise Records label. Riddle and Cole recorded one final hit album "Wild Is Love", based on lyrics by Ray Rasch and Dotty Wayne. Cole later retooled the concept album into an off-Broadway show, I'm With You.
Cole did manage to record some hit singles during the 1960s, including the country-flavored hit "Ramblin' Rose" in August of 1962, "Dear Lonely Hearts", "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer", and "That Sunday, That Summer".
His last album, L.O.V.E., was recorded in late 1964 and released just prior to his death; it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Albums chart in the spring of 1965. A "Best Of" album went gold in 1968. His 1957 recording of "When I Fall In Love" topped the UK charts in 1987.
Cole was the first African American to have his own radio program and television show (see below). In both cases, the programs were 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.
Cole performed in many short films, and played W. C. Handy in the film Saint Louis Blues. He also appeared in The Nat King Cole Story, "China Gate" and "The Blue Gardenia" (see photo above). Cat Ballou, his final film, was released several months after his death.
Cole, a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer in February 1965 while still at the height of his singing career.
In 1983, an archivist for Electrola Records, Capitol Records' subsidiary in Holland, discovered some song Cole had recorded but that had never been released, including one in Japanese and another in Spanish ("Tu Eres Tan Amable"). Capitol released them later that year as the Long Play "Unreleased".
Nat's daughter, Natalie Cole, and his youngest brother Freddy Cole, are also singers. In the summer of 1991, Natalie and her father had an unexpected hit, when Natalie mixed her own voice with her father's 1961 rendition of "Unforgettable", as part of her album paying tribute her father's music. The song and the album of the same name won seven Grammys awards in 1992.
[edit] Making Television History
On November 5, 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 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, (most of whom, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Belafonte, 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 December 17, 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."
Notable appearances on Television shows other than his own:
- Ed Sullivan: Nat King Cole was on the Ed Sullivan show six times before his own show ran regularly in 1957. He appeared twice after his show ended, once in 1958 and once in 1961.
Nat King Cole Appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show by: Season, Episode and Production Number, Air Date, Episode Title
- Season 9 (380.9-2 02-Oct-1955)
- Scheduled: Nat King Cole; "Fanny" cast and Josh Logan
- Season 9 (383.9-5 23-Oct-1955)
- Scheduled: Nat King Cole & wife Maria; Jack Palance and Rod Steiger
- Season 9 (404.9-26 18-Mar-1956)
- Scheduled: Marcel Marceau; Eli Wallach; Nat King Cole and Cesare Siepe
- Season 9 (405.9-27 25-Mar-1956)
- Scheduled: Nat King Cole; Jack Carter and Reese & Davis
- Season 9 (411.9-33 06-May-1956)
- Scheduled: Tony Martin; Nat King Cole; Edie Adams; The Lovers and Will Jordan
- Season 9 (416.9-38 10-Jun-1956)
- Scheduled: Nat King Cole; Bob Hope (on film); Jack Carter and film: "A Short Vision"
- Season 11 (510.11-29 13-Apr-1958)
- Scheduled: Nat King Cole; Mickey Mantle; Yogi Berra and Jack Norworth
- Season 14 (648.14-16 29-Jan-1961)
- Scheduled: Carmen McRae; Carol Channing and Nat King Cole
- Season 9 (380.9-2 02-Oct-1955)
- Dinah Shore: Nat King Cole was also on the Dinah Shore show – singing "Mr. Cole Won’t Rock & Roll" – in the early 1960’s.
- Your Show of Shows ... aka Sid Caesar's Show of Shows
- Episode dated 12 September 1953 (1953) TV Episode.
[edit] Marriage, Children and other personal details
It is not certain that Nat King Cole was born in 1919, and the correct date may never be known. Nat used four different dates himself on official documents. These are 1915, 1916, 1917, and 1919.
Cole's first marriage, to Nadine Robinson, ended in 1948. On March 28 (Easter Sunday), just six days after his divorce became final, Nat King Cole married singer Maria Hawkins Ellington (no relation to Duke although she had sung with his band). They were married in Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.. They had five children: daughter Natalie was born in 1950, followed by adoption of Carol (the daughter of Maria's sister) and a son Nat Kelly Cole, who died in 1995. Twin girls Casey and Timolin were born in 1961.
In 1948, Cole purchased a house in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The property owners association told Cole they did not want any undesirables moving in. Cole retorted "Neither do I. And if I see anybody undesirable coming in here, I'll be the first to complain."
Cole carried on affairs throughout his marriage. By the time he contracted lung cancer, he was estranged from his wife Maria in favor of actress Gunilla Hutton (Nurse Goodbody of Hee Haw fame). However, he was together with his wife during his illness and she stayed with him until his death. In interview, his wife Maria has expressed no lingering resentment over his affairs, but rather focused on his musical legacy and the class he exhibited in all other aspects of his life.
Cole was a heavy smoker, smoking up to three packs a day. He believed smoking kept his voice low. (He would, in fact, smoke several cigarettes in quick succession before a recording for this very purpose.) He died of lung cancer on February 15, 1965, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His funeral was held at St. James Episcopal Church on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. His remains were interred inside Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notable Songs
- "Straighten Up and Fly Right" (Nat King Cole Definitive American Standard and Library of Congress National Recording Registry)
- "Its Only a Paper Moon" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "Sweet Lorraine" (Smithsonian Museum Definitive American Standard)
- "Embraceable You" (George and Ira Gershwin Smithsonian Museum Definitive American Standard 1943 Nat King Cole Trio Version)
- "Embraceable You" (Definitive Valentine's Day Standard March 23,1961 Nat King Cole Trio Last Recording)
- "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "I'm Thru with Love" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "The Frim Fram Sauce" (Nat King Cole Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" (Bobby Troup Definitive Jazz Standard),also Grammy Hall of Fame
- "Baby, Baby All the Time" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "You Call It Madness" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" (Definitive American Standard) Covered by Five Star in 1994
- "The Christmas Song" with its opening line "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire", (Mel Torme Definitive American Standard) (Nat's version recently voted the number one Christmas song of all time), also Grammy Hall of Fame Arranged by Charlie Grean
- "Too Marvelous for Words" (Johnny Mercer Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "For All We Know" (Great American Standard Nat King Cole Trio Version)
- "Nature Boy" composed by Eden Ahbez, also Grammy Hall of Fame Arranged by Frank De Vol
- "You've Changed" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "You Can Depend on Me" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "Candy" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "Caravan" (Duke Ellington Great Jazz Standard)
- "Sometimes I'm Happy" (Definitive Jazz Standard)
- "Lost April" (Definitive American Movie Standard)
- "Portrait of Jennie" (Definitive American Movie Standard) Arranged by Carlyle Hall
- "Lush Life" (Billy Strayhorn Jazz and Cabaret Standard; Smithsonian Museum Definitive American Standard 1961 Ralph Carmichael Version of the 1949 Pete Rugolo Arrangement)
- "Orange Colored Sky" (American Television Standard) Arranged by Pete Rugolo
- "You Stepped Out of a Dream" (Definitive Jazz Standard) Arranged by Pete Rugolo
- "Funny (Not Much)" (Definitive Jazz Standard) Arranged by Pete Rugolo
- "Mona Lisa" (Definitive American Movie Standard and Academy Award Winner) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Too Young" (Great American Standard) 23 Weeks at #1 on Your Hit Parade Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Unforgettable" later re-recorded as a duet by his daughter Natalie Winner of 7 Grammy Awards and Grammy Hall of Fame Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "That's All" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Blue Gardenia" (Definitive American Movie Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "I Am In Love" (Cole Porter Great American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "This Can't be Love" (Definitive American Movie Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "There Will Never be Another You" (Definitive American Movie Standard)(Smithsonian Museum Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Let's Fall in Love" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Almost Like Being in Love" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Our Love is Here to Stay" (Definitive Gershwin Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "A Handful of Stars" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Tenderly" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Ballerina" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "If Love is Good to Me" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Night Lights" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "I Just Found Out About Love" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Dame Crazy" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Too Young to Go Steady" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "To the Ends of the Earth" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Never Let Me Go" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Portrait Of Jennie" (Definitive American Movie Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" (Great French Cabaret Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Answer Me, My Love" (Definitive German Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Smile" (Charlie Chaplin Great American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Autumn Leaves" (Great French Cabaret Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "A Blossom Fell" (Great British Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Non Dimenticar" (Great Italian Cabaret Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Saint Louis Blues" (W.C. Handy Great Blues Standard) the definitive version of the most recorded blues song Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Joe Turner's Blues" (W.C. Handy Great Blues Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Beale Street Blues" (W.C. Handy Great Blues Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Careless Love" (W.C. Handy Great Blues Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Memphis Blues" (W.C. Handy Great Blues Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Yellow Dog Blues" (W.C. Handy Great Blues Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Harlem Blues" (W.C. Handy Great Blues Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Beggar for the Blues" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Wild is Love" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "It's a Beautiful Evening" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "You Made Me Love You" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Here's to My Lady" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "I Had the Craziest Dream" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Fascination" (Great Spanish Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Tangerine" (Johnny Mercer Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Around the World" (Great Movie Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "An Affair to Remember" (Great Movie Standard) Arranged by Nelson Riddle
- "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Angel Eyes" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Teach Me Tonight" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (Definitive Duke Ellington Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "The Song is Ended" (Irving Berlin Great American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "You'll Never Know" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Who's Sorry Now" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" (Great British Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Once in a While" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Just One of Those Things" (Cole Porter Great American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "I Should Care" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "The Party's Over" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "A Cottage for Sale" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "When Your Lover Has Gone" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Day In, Day Out" (Johnny Mercer Great American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Let's Face the Music and Dance" (Irving Berlin Great American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Billy May
- "Stardust" (Hoagy Carmichael Definitive American Standard)(Smithsonian Museum Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Paradise" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "When I Fall in Love" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "At Last" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Love is the Thing" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "When Sunny Gets Blue" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "It's All in the Game" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Love Letters" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Ain't Misbehavin" (Fats Waller Great Jazz Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "The Very Thought of You" (Ray Noble Great British Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "For All We Know" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "But Beautiful" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "The More I See You" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Don't Blame Me" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "There is No Greater Love" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Where Did Everyone Go?" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Say It Isn't So" (Irving Berlin Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "When the World Was Young" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Am I Blue?" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "The End of a Love Affair" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "I Keep Goin' Back to Joe's" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Laughing on the Outside" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "Spring is Here" (Rodgers and Hart Great American Standard) Arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- "She's Funny That Way" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "I Want a Litte Girl" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Mood Indigo" (Duke Ellington Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Avalon" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "The Late Late Show" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Wee Baby Blues" (Great American Blues Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "The Best Thing for You" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Crazy She Calls Me" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "For You" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Dedicated to You" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "This is Always" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "I Would Do Anything for You" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "The Continental" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "I Wish You Love" (Great French Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "You Leave me Breathless" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Thou Swell" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "My Kinda Love" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Surrey with the Fringe on the Top" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Miss Otis Regrets" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "Mr. Cole Won't Rock & Roll" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Dave Cavanaugh
- "The Touch of Your Lips" (Ray Noble Great British Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "I Remember You" (Johnny Mercer Great Cabaret Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Poinciana" (Great American Cabaret Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" (Great British Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "I Could Have Danced All Night" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "On the Street Where You Live" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Show Me" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Wouldn't It be Loverly" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "L-O-V-E" (Definitive American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "People" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Coquette" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Three Litte Words" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "The Girl from Ipanema" (Great Brazilian Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "My Kind of Girl" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "September Song" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Pick Yourself Up" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "I Got It Bad" (Duke Ellington Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Let There Be Love" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Azure-Te" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Lost April" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "A Beautiful Friendship" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Fly Me to the Moon" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Serenata" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "I'm Lost" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "There's a Lull in My Life" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Don't Go" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Everything Happens to Me" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Guess I'll Go Back Home" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "More" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "That Sunday, That Summer" (Great American Standard) Arranged by Ralph Carmichael
- "Ramblin' Rose"
[edit] Discography (Albums)
| Year | Album Title |
| 1944 | The King Cole Trio - Capitol Records (10 inch LP) |
| 1946 | The King Cole Trio Volume 2 (10 inch LP) |
| 1948 | The King Cole Trio Volume 3 (10 inch LP) |
| 1950 | Nat King Cole At The Piano (10 inch LP) |
| 1952 | Penthouse Serenade (10 inch LP) |
| 1952 | Top Pops (10 inch LP version) |
| 1952 | Harvest Of Hits (10 inch LP) |
| 1953 | Sings For Two In Love (10 inch LP) |
| 1954 | Unforgettable (10 inch originally, 12 inch following year) |
| 1955 | Penthouse Serenade (12 inch LP version) |
| 1955 | Nat King Cole Sings For Two In Love (12 inch LP version) |
| 1955 | 10th Anniversary Album (12 inch LP version) |
| 1955 | Top Pops (12 inch LP version) |
| 1955 | The Piano Style of Nat King Cole |
| 1956 | Ballads of the Day |
| 1957 | This Is Nat King Cole |
| 1957 | After Midnight |
| 1957 | Just One Of Those Things |
| 1957 | Love Is The Thing |
| 1958 | Cole Español |
| 1958 | St. Louis Blues |
| 1958 | The Very Thought Of You |
| 1958 | To Whom It May Concern |
| 1959 | Welcome To The Club |
| 1959 | A Mis Amigos |
| 1960 | Tell Me All About Yourself |
| 1960 | Everytime I Feel The Spirit |
| 1960 | Wild Is Love |
| 1960 | The Magic of Christmas |
| 1961 | The Nat King Cole Story |
| 1961 | The Touch of Your Lips |
| 1962 | Nat King Cole Sings, The George Shearing Quintet Plays (Bonus LP added to later pressings) |
| 1962 | Ramblin' Rose |
| 1962 | Dear Lonely Hearts |
| 1962 | Chartbusters: Volume 2 (Capitol Compilation LP, features "Ramblin Rose") |
| 1962 | More Cole Español |
| 1962 | Swingin' Side Of Nat King Cole (Reissue Of "Welcome To the Club") |
| 1963 | Nat King Cole Sings the Blues (Reissue Of St. Louis Blues) |
| 1963 | Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer |
| 1963 | Chartbusters: Volume 3 (Capitol Compilation LP, features "That Sunday, That Summer" & "Mr. Wishing Well") |
| 1963 | Top Pops (Reissue of 1955 album) |
| 1963 | Where Did Everyone Go? |
| 1963 | The Christmas Song (Reissue Of Magic Of Christmas plus title song) |
| 1964 | Chartbusters: Volume 4 (Capitol Compilation LP, features "My True Carrie, Love") |
| 1964 | Nat King Cole Sings My Fair Lady |
| 1964 | Let's Face The Music! |
| 1964 | I Don't Want To Be Hurt Anymore |
| 1965 | L-O-V-E (Released weeks before Cole Died) |
| Re-Releases (Released Posthumously) | |
| 1965 | Sings Songs From Cat Ballou & Other Motion Pictures |
| 1965 | Looking Back |
| 1965 | Unforgettable (1965 reissue of 1954 album) |
| 1965 | Sings Hymns & Spirituals (Reissue Of Every Time I Feel the Spirit) |
| 1965 | Nat King Cole Trio: The Vintage Years |
| 1965 | Nature Boy |
| 1966 | Nat King Cole At the Sands (Recorded Live on January 14, 1960) |
| 1966 | Sincerely, Nat King Cole |
| 1966 | Nat Cole Sings the Great Songs! |
| 1966 | Longines Symphonette Society Presents the Unforgettable Nat King Cole (Box Set) |
| 1967 | The Beautiful Ballads |
| 1967 | Thank You, Pretty Baby |
| 1968 | Best Of Nat King Cole |
| 1970 | The Magic Of Christmas With Children (Safeway Supermarket Promo LP) |
| 1973 | Nature Boy |
| 1974 | Love is a Many Splendored Thing |
| 1979 | Reader's Digest Presents: The Great Nat King Cole (4LP Box Set) |
| 1982 | Greatest Love Songs |
| 1983 | Unforgettable (Australia) |
| 1990 | Hit That Jive, Jack |
| 1990 | Jumpin' at Capitol |
| 1990 | Capitol Collectors' Series |
| 1990 | Cole, Christmas and Kids |
| 1991 | Big Band Cole (Repackaging of "Welcome To the Club" with bonus tracks) |
| 1991 | The Unforgettable Nat King Cole |
| 1992 | Christmas Favorites |
| 1992 | Selections From The Nat King Cole 4-CD Box Set (Promo) |
| 1992 | The Best Of The Nat King Cole Trio: The Instrumental Classics |
| 1993 | The Billy May Sessions (2Cd Set) |
| 1993 | Mis Mejores Canciones - 19 Super Exitos |
| 1994 | Greatest Hits (DCC Gold Disc version released 1995) |
| 1994 | Let's Face the Music & Dance (Not the 1964 album) |
| 1998 | The Frim Fram Sauce |
| 1999 | Live At The Circle Room (Radio Transcriptions From a 1944 Performance) |
| 2000 | Coast To Coast Live (1963 Concert At the Riverside Inn, Fresno, CA/1962 WNEW Radio Show) |
| 2000 | Route 66 |
| 2000 | Christmas & Kids: From One To Ninety Two (Reissue Of Cole, Christmas & Kids) |
| 2001 | The King Swings |
| 2001 | Try Not To Cry |
| 2001 | Night Lights (album recorded in 1956, but never released) |
| 2003 | Stepping Out of a Dream |
| 2003 | The Classic Singles (4 CD Book) |
| 2003 | 20 Golden Greats |
| 2003 | The Best Of... |
| 2003 | Love Songs |
| 2003 | The Nat King Cole Trio (With Famous Guests) |
| 2003 | The One And Only Nat King Cole |
| 2005 | The World Of Nat King Cole (Bonus DVD added 2006) |
| 2006 | The Very Best of Nat King Cole |
| 2006 | Stardust: The Complete Capitol Recordings, 1955-59 |
| 2006 | L-O-V-E: The Complete Capitol Recordings, 1960-64
[edit] Filmography
[edit] External links
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