Nat King Cole
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Nat “King” Cole (March 17th 1919–February 15th 1965) was a popular American singer and jazz musician.
As a piano player, he formed a jazz trio in 1938 that played Los Angeles nightclubs, one of the first jazz trios featuring guitar and piano. Prior to this he had played music since he was a child and had worked with bands since he was sixteen. He was raised in Chicago and exposed to the abundant jazz scene there. He was heavily influenced by pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines.
Later he became more popularly known as a singer and crooner and his work became more orchestrated.
His first mainstream vocal hit was in 1944 withStraighten Up And Fly Right, based on a black folk tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon. Although hardly a rocker, the song’s success proved that an audience for folk-based material existed. It is considered a predecessor to 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 with such hits asThe Christmas Song (1946), Nature Boy (1948), Mona Lisa (1950), 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 musical roots; as late as 1956, for instance, he recorded an all-jazz album, After Midnight. In 1991, Mosaic Records released the Complete Nat King Cole Trio Recordings on Capitol, which contained 349 songs on twenty-seven LPs or eighteen CDs.
As a piano player, he formed a jazz trio in 1938 that played Los Angeles nightclubs, one of the first jazz trios featuring guitar and piano. Prior to this he had played music since he was a child and had worked with bands since he was sixteen. He was raised in Chicago and exposed to the abundant jazz scene there. He was heavily influenced by pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines.
Later he became more popularly known as a singer and crooner and his work became more orchestrated.
His first mainstream vocal hit was in 1944 with
Straighten Up And Fly Right, based on a black folk tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon. Although hardly a rocker, the song’s success proved that an audience for folk-based material existed. It is considered a predecessor to 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 with such hits as
The Christmas Song (1946), Nature Boy (1948), Mona Lisa (1950), 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 musical roots; as late as 1956, for instance, he recorded an all-jazz album, After Midnight. In 1991, Mosaic Records released the Complete Nat King Cole Trio Recordings on Capitol, which contained 349 songs on twenty-seven LPs or eighteen CDs.
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Love Is The Thing
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A Mis Amigos
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The Christmas Song
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The Ultimate Collection
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Shoutbox
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zaalewskaa wrote:
wonderfull voice
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DaniCali4nia wrote:
<3
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boltactionblast wrote:
Walking My Baby Back Hooooome. Why the hell do all the good ones have to die? Why can't they just take Beiber and 50 Cent instead?
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PrettyFlacko wrote:
Just a memory back from times when saying "I love you" really meant something...[2]
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keithmoon13 wrote:
I love this man, when I'm down, I love his reminder, 'Straighten Up and Fly Right'.
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alma_espacio wrote:
he makes my evenings better
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Antimusician wrote:
Just a memory back from times when saying "I love you" really meant something...
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Hakuna_Matata__ wrote:
Never Say Never Again~
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Sevastopoly wrote:
LEGEND!
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presspreston wrote:
deck the halls
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stuntcat wrote:
what an amazing beautiful voice he has, it's like a spell.
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deadevil13 wrote:
I would happily trade Justin Beiber or any other god awful pop artist of modern day to have Nat back.... your voice is incredible :'(
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Cheburaloid wrote:
incredible voice
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AlxenPanikovski wrote:
Αὐτὴ ἡ ΣΠΑΡΤΗ ἐστίν
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hinterhofbuber wrote:
he´s the best
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GHELIX wrote:
he`s great. classic.
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Like_a_god wrote:
realy Unforgettable
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xstex wrote:
Incredible.
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rosaneamaral wrote:
Nat is sublime! ²
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carolina_viana wrote:
Jazz s2
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Recent Activity
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chikaaisyaa, castrovolpisong, ovictorocastro and 63 other people added Nat King Cole to their libraries. 52 minutes ago
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rancor04 tagged Nat King Cole with ‘jazz’. Tuesday morning
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rancor04, JaksaBilic, milagro1 and 30 other people added Nat King Cole to their libraries. Tuesday morning
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CadsuaneSedai wrote about Nat King Cole – The World of Nat King Cole in My Music Collection. May 2011
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thang_pippo9 wrote about Nat King Cole – 32 Live Original Songs in a deleted journal. January 2010
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