2. 1919
1st tax on
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
Nathaniel Adams Coles was born
Treaty of Versailles
3. Early Life
• Nat King Cole was born “Nathaniel Adams
Coles”. He was born in
Montgomery, Alabama, and at 4 years old, he
and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois. He
had 3 brothers: Ike, Eddie, and Freddy, a half
sister, Joyce, a Pastor father, and a church
choir instructor mother who began teaching
him to play the organ at the age of 4. He had
his first performance that year, playing the
song “Yes! We Have No Bananas”
4. Nathaniel Adams
Coles began taking
formal lessons at the
age of 12. He learned
Jazz and Gospel as
well as Classical music.
He would sneak out of
his house at night to
go to night clubs and
hang out outside to
listen to artists such as
Louis Armstrong, Earl
Hines, and Jimmie
Noone.
6. At Age 15, Coles
dropped out of school
to follow his dream of
becoming a Jazz
Pianist. He worked
with his brother
Eddies, a bassist, for a
little while and they
did his first recording
under his brothers
name. Together they
performed regularly at
nightclubs.
7. Nat King Cole was, for a time, the pianist for the
National Broadway tour of ‘Shuffle Along” which
took him to Longbeach, Ca.
8. In Longbeach, Ca
Nathaniel Adams
Coles met 2 other
musicians, Oscar
Moore (a guitarist)
and Wesley Price (a
double bassist) and
together they formed
the King Cole Swingers
aka the King Cole Trio.;
Nat King Cole was the
pianist as well as the
leader. They were
performing at bars
until they finally got a
paying gig.
9. Romance: Nat King Cole married Nadine Robinson in 1948; they later got divorced. He
then married his 2nd wife Maria Hawkins Ellington, who with he raided 5 children. 4
were biological and 1 was adopted from a relative.
10. The Involvement of Radio:
Radio was very
important in Cole’s
career. In 1928 they
were broadcast on
NBC’s Blue Network.
This was followed by
appearances on NBC’s
Swing Soiree. In the
1940’s the trio
appeared on Old Gold,
Chesterfield Supper
Club, and Kraft Music
Hall radio shows.
11. Cole finally got his start singing when a bar room patron requested a
song, Cole not knowing it, sang “Sweet Lorraine” and ever since people
requested him to sing.
12. The trio hit the charts
with “that ain’t right.
Straighten up and fly”
which was inspired by
a sermon of Nat King
Cole’s father. They
continued to rise in
popularity with the
Christmas hit “The
Christmas Song” and
the ballad “(I Love
You) for Sentimental
Reasons”
13. In the 1950’s Cole emerged
as a popular solo
performer with his hits like
“Nature Boy”, “Mona
Lisa”, “Too Young” and
“Unforgettable”. He was
able to work with some of
the greats such as Louis
Armstrong, Ella
Fitzgerald, and arranger
Nelson Riddle. Cole also
befriended many stars of
the era including Frank
Sinatra.
14. Being African-American, Cole had to struggle to be taken seriously by the white
community. He had to deal with racism, especially during the Civil Rights Movement.
15. Nat King Cole
was assaulted
by a white
man during a
mixed race
performance
in Alabama.
16. Cole earned some
disapproval of some
African American fans
when he commented
after the show in
which he was
assaulted. He stated
that “I am an
entertainer not an
activist”
17. When moving to an “all white” neighborhood in L.A. KKK
members made a statement by burning a cross on his lawn.
Members of the property owners association told him that they
did not want any “undesirables” moving in. He said neither did
he and “if I see anybody undesirable coming in here I’ll be the
first to complain”.
18. Still, some of the
neighbors
expressed their
displeasure by
firing shots
through their
windows and
even poisoning
their family dog.
19. In 1948 the
Waldorf Astoria
Hotel in New
York refused to
let he and his
wife get married
there.
20. In 1958, while performing in Cuba, Nat King Cole wanted to stay at the
Nacional De Cuba, but was not allowed to because of the “color bar”. He still
honored his contract and made his concert a huge success. The following year
he returned and performed a few songs in Spanish. There is now a tribute to
him, a bust and a jukebox, in the same hotel that refused him.
21. In 1956 Nat King Cole
became the first African
American to host a variety
show. The Nat King Cole
Show featured many
performers such as Count
Basie, Peggy Lee, Sammy
Davis Jr.. The Show was
canceled due to it’s lack of
sponsors, which was sadly
because no one wanted to
sponsor a show back then
that featured African
American entertainers.
23. Nat King Cole
also appeared
in a few
movies. He
played bit
parts in
Istanboul
(1957), China
Gate (1957).
24. He had a major roll in St. Louis Blues (1958) where he played
blues legend W.C. Handy. His final movie was where he
performed with Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou (1965).
25. Smoking was a
stress reliever
for Nat King Cole
and in 19654 he
was diagnosed
with lung
cancer; from
which he died of
in 1965, at the
age of 65, in
Santa
Monica, Ca.
26. Works Cited
Nat King Cole. Biography: www. Biography.com/people/nat-king-cole-9253026
20/20: Nat “King” Cole, an American Legend, Dec.
15, www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=124176&page=1
Nat King Cole: May 17, 2006
www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/nat-king-cole/558/
Music
SF Jazz Collective: Live 2009- 6th Annual Concert Tour Dist 1: 05 Free Jazz
