Nat King Cole

About Nat King Cole

Cole started as a jazz pianist in Los Angeles, forming one of the first trios pairing guitar and piano in 1938. Chicago-raised and influenced by Earl Hines, he worked in bands from his teenage years. His 1944 hit Straighten Up and Fly Right, adapted from his father's sermon material, proved folk-based songs could reach mass audiences and prefigured rock and roll. Bo Diddley later cited Cole's approach as influential.

From the late 1940s onward, Cole recorded lush pop arrangements, often with orchestrator Nelson Riddle. Hits like The Christmas Song, Nature Boy, Mona Lisa, and his signature tune Unforgettable established him as a mainstream icon. Jazz purists objected to this shift, yet Cole continued recording jazz work, notably his 1956 all-jazz album After Midnight. The Complete Nat King Cole Trio Recordings, released by Mosaic in 1991, contained 349 songs across twenty-seven LPs or eighteen CDs. Cole also pursued Latin material, recording Cole Espanol in 1958 after visiting Cuba, followed by A mis amigos and More Cole Espanol.

As youth-oriented acts dominated the singles chart in the late 1950s, Cole's pop presence faded briefly, though he resurfaced with country-tinged hits like Ramblin' Rose in 1962. His final album, L.O.V.E, recorded in late 1964, reached number four on the Billboard chart before his death in 1965. Beyond music, Cole was the first African-American to host a national radio program and later a major television show, though both faced sponsor withdrawal due to his race. He refused segregated venues and remained a civil rights advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. The Groove Hunter currently tracks 9 editions of Cole's catalog, including The Christmas Song on translucent red vinyl, Unforgettable, and various compilations like The Platinum Collection and Ultimate Nat King Cole.