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Nat "King" Cole
(1919-1965)

One of the most beloved and successful pop singers of the last century was among its finest jazz pianists. Nathaniel Adams Cole, born in Alabama and raised in Chicago, studied classical piano as a child but took a great interest in the burgeoning jazz scene around him. After being stranded in Los Angeles when a touring show he was in folded, the very young Cole began performing at L.A.'s Century Club, and in 1939 formed the dynamic and sophisticated Nat Cole Trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince. Their first major hit was "Straighten Up and Fly Right," in 1943,composed by Cole. In 1946, Cole broke through to the Pop audience with "The Christmas Song," and began making heavily orchestrated records utilizing the era's top arrangers and conductors . Cole's recordings made standards of such songs as "Unforgettable," "Nature Boy," "Mona Lisa," "When I Fall in Love" and dozens more. He also hosted a network television variety program and made appearances in films. The jazz world remembers him for his swinging trio sides and for his ingenious coupling of Earl "Fatha" Hines right-hand piano lines and Count Basie's left-hand ones.