More On Nat King Cole

He played piano in clubs for a while then formed a band with bassist Wesley Prince and guitarist Oscar Moore. They called themselves the King Cole Swingsters, before recording under the name “King Cole”. Cole’s first hit was “Sweet Lorraine” in 1940. In 1941 “That Ain’t Right”, “All for You” and “I’m Lost”. Cole appeared in the first “Jazz at the Philharmonic” concerts in 1944. He appeared on King Cole Trio Time on NBC with Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Johnny Miller on double bass in 1947 and performed on the radio programs Swing Soiree, Old Gold, The Chesterfield Supper Club, Kraft Music Hall, and The Orson Welles Almanac. Then, “All for You” (1943), “The Christmas Song” (1947), “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”, “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” (1946), “There! I’ve Said It Again” (1947), “Nature Boy” (1948), “Frosty The Snowman”, “Mona Lisa”, “Orange Colored Sky” (1950), “Too Young” 1951. On November 5, 1956, The Nat ‘King’ Cole Show debuted on NBC. 1956 – 1957.

Throughout the 1950s, Cole continued to record hits that sold millions throughout the world, such as “Smile”, “Pretend”, “A Blossom Fell”, and “If I May”. In 1955, “Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup” reached number 7 on the Billboard chart. “Love Is the Thing” went to number one in April 1957 and remained his only number one album. In 1959 he received a Grammy Award for Best Performance By a “Top 40” Artist for “Midnight Flyer”. In 1958 Cole went to Havana, Cuba, to record “Cole Español”, an album sung entirely in Spanish. It was so popular in Latin America and the U.S. that it was followed by two more Spanish-language albums: “A Mis Amigos” (1959) and “More Cole Español” (1962). In 1960, Cole recorded one final hit album, “Wild Is Love”. Cole recorded some hit singles during the 1960s, including “Let There Be Love” in 1961, “Ramblin’ Rose”, “Dear Lonely Hearts”, “That Sunday, That Summer” and “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer” in 1962.

He performed in many short films, sitcoms, and television shows and played W. C. Handy in the film St. Louis Blues (1958). He also appeared in The Nat King Cole Story, China Gate, and The Blue Gardenia (1953). In 1964, Cole sang “When I Fall in Love” on The Jack Benny Program. Cat Ballou (1965), his final film, was released several months after his death. We all have a favorite Nat King Cole song; mine is “The Christmas Song”. Nat King Cole died at the age of 45.