A brief look into the life and works of Nathaniel Coles, more commonly known as Nat King Cole.

When up and coming artists are asked who their influences are, they tend to list performers with in the last five to ten years. In my opinion, since most performers are putting out very similar music, I do not really see what could be influencing these younger artists. Artists and performers from more than ten years ago on the other hand, were much more diverse in the music they put out. One performer that comes to mind is Nat King Cole; Cole broke out on the scene first as a jazz pianist before becoming a solo singer who paved the way for black performers that followed. By looking into Coles life, we can get a better handle on him and his music.

Known professionally as Nat King Cole, Nathaniel Adams Coles was born on March 17, 1917 in Montgomery Alabama. Cole was the youngest son of Reverend Edwards Coles and Perlina (ne Adams) Coles. Cole had three brothers and two sisters who, like Nat, were musical. Of all the children though, it seemed as if Nat had the most talent or came into his artistry first. In 1921, Reverend Edwards Coles moved his family to Chicago in order to be pastor of the Truelight Spiritual Temple. (Advameg, Inc.) At about four years of age, he learned how to play the piano; while in kindergarten, he enjoyed entertaining his friends and classmates. At age eleven, he played the organ with the help of his mother, who was the churchs organist, and sang in the choir at his fathers church.

Cole was a natural pianist form the start; in his early teens, he started formal classical piano training but ultimately gave up on classical music in order to pursue another genre jazz. (Bio: A&E Television Networks, LLC) The biggest inspiration in Coles life was one of the frontrunners of modern jazz, Earl Hines. At about 15, Cole dropped out of high school to further pursue becoming a jazz pianist. Cole and his band, the Rouges of Rhythm or he Royal Dukes, (AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC) joined a moving band and traveled with it to the West Coast. After playing piano in Eubie Blakes Shuffle Along national tour, Nathaniel moved to Los Angeles.

It was in 1937 that a Los Angeles club owner had given him the name Nat King Cole; that same year, the King Cole Trio was founded. (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.) The King Cole Trio was comprised of, of course, Nat Cole, Wesley Prince on bass, and Oscar Moore on guitar. The Trio sang at the Swannee Inn, where Cole first began as a singer. It may or may not have happened but his singing career began when he was forced by one of the customers to sing Sweet Lorraine, after this Cole started to add his smooth voice to his performances at gigs. This resulted in Cole and the Trio to become a hot local act, all before Coles twenty first birthday.

One song made famous by the trio is Straighten Up and Fly Right. When I first heard this song, I was about 13 and just thought it was the cutest, catchiest song even though I had no idea it was about. To be honest, one of the reasons I enjoyed listening to it was because there was a monkey talking to a bird; I was easily entertained at 13. The song actually comes from an old folk tale popular within the black community. The song was based on a black folk tale that Cole’s father had used as a theme for one of his sermons. A buzzard takes different animals for a joy ride. When he gets hungry, he throws them off on a dive and eats them for dinner. A monkey who had observed this trick goes for a ride; he wraps his tail around the buzzard’s neck and gives the buzzard a big surprise by nearly choking him to death. (Advameg, Inc.)This song is probably one of my favorites of Nat Cole.

He was one of the greatest pianists of his generation, but his potential as a singer was greater. Not only was Cole known for being a jazz pianist, he was also known for his soft baritone vocals. He was one of the first black male singers to be at the top of a profession in a white world, along with Billy Eckstine. As a songwriter he was able to make his melodies and lyrics flow together such that, now it is almost impossible to think of his songs without recalling both the music and lyrics. This is evident with songs such as Nature Boy, and When I Fall in Love. His recording of Nature Boy in 1948 helped him rise to jazz to mainstream pop; by the end of the forties, Coles trio was well on their way to being just a memory.

Early 1946 on Saturday mornings, Cole would host his own radio show. In 1956, Cole made history by becoming the first African-American artist to host his own show. Some of the artist featured on the Coles self-titled show included many prominent performers of that time such as Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., and, another personal favorite, Tony Bennett. The Nat King Cole Show, unfortunately, did not last very long; Cole speculated that it had something to do with the lack of a sponsor due to racial issues, namely no company wanted to sponsor a program featuring African-American performers. (Bio: A&E Television Networks, LLC) Although the show ended, Cole still made occasional appearances on talk shows hosted by others.

If he was not on the small screen, Cole could be found on the big screen. In the 40s, the majority of his roles were pretty much cameos or portraying a version of himself. The 50s, however, Cole found himself in larger roles, even appearing in the 1957 drama Istanbul alongside Errol Flynn. That same year, Cole appeared in the war drama China Gate with Gene Barry and Angie Dickinson. His only major starring role came in 1958, in the drama St. Louis Blues, also starring Eartha Kitt and Cab Calloway. Cole played the role of blues great W.C. Handy in the film. His final film appearance came in 1965: He performed alongside Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin in the light-hearted Western Cat Ballou. (IMDB.com, Inc.)

As talented as Cole was, he unfortunately smoked cigarettes regularly and in great quantities; Cole was rarely seen without a cigarette in hand. This eventually led to a diagnosis of lung cancer in December of 1964. Cole was able to survive for two months after the diagnosis, but sadly died shortly thereafter. Before his death in 1965, Cole was asked in an interview how he could smoke so much and still be a singer. Cole simply replied by saying that had learned two things: the right key for a song was everything and smoking kept the husky sound in his voice that the audience fell in love with; So, Cole said, if you want to sing, keep on smoking. (Encylopedia of World Biography)

On February 15, 1965, despite medical treatment, at the age of 45, Cole lost his battle and the world lost an icon. However, even after his death, many people still enjoy listening to his music. Jazz lovers continue to listen to Coles music and value his recordings. Cole is still recognized for being the great artist that he was. He is such an influential figure in the music world and his contributions have not gone unnoticed. Along with Jazz lovers keeping Coles music alive, movies are still using his music today. Without you knowing it, you have been listening to icons like Nat King Cole. One of the Coles biggest posthumous boosts was a duet done with his daughter, Natalie Cole. Natalie used the master of Coles 1952 recording of Unforgettable in order to record a duet with her father in 1991. (AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC)

Music is universal and timeless. Case-in-point, Nats music is still being used today; whether it is in a movie soundtrack or being played for your grandparents to remember when, his music, along with the music of others, will make you feel something. Straighten Up and Fly Right can still bring a smile to my face and I believe that it always will, regardless of the meaning behind it. The upbeat tempo of the song is one that can pull me out of any rut I may be it. The lyrics of the song make me feel like I should view my life as the buzzard and handle any problems like the monkey; maybe not exactly like that, but something similar.

Then there are songs like (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66, a timeless classic that can lighten any mood, make road trips less boring, and make anyone want to get up and dance. We cannot forget about the holidays; Coles version of The Christmas Song has to be, in my opinion, one of the warmest versions of the song. It may be that I absolutely love Christmas songs, but this version is one of my favorites. Coles soft, husky voice seems to fit this song perfectly and I would not mind listening to it on repeat for hours at a time.