Nat “King” Cole

Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole, June 1947
Background information
Birth name	Nathaniel Adams Coles
Born	(1919-03-17)March 17, 1919 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Died	February 15, 1965(1965-02-15) (aged 45) Santa Monica, California
Genres	Jazz, swing, traditional pop
Occupation(s)	Musician, vocalist
Instruments	Piano, vocals
Years active	1934–1965
Labels	Decca, Capitol
Associated acts	Oscar Moore, Irving Ashby, John Collins

Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He recorded over one hundred songs that became hits on the pop charts. His trio was the model for small jazz ensembles that followed. Cole acted in films and on television and performed on Broadway. He was the first black man to host a television series.

Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 17, 1919. He had three brothers—Eddie (1910–1970),Ike (1927–2001), and Freddy (born 1931)—and a half-sister, Joyce Coles. Each of his brothers pursued careers in music. When Nat was four years old, he and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where his father, Edward Coles, became a Baptist minister. Nat learned to play the organ from his mother, Perlina Coles, the church organist. His first performance was of "Yes! We Have No Bananas" at the age of four. He began formal lessons at 12 and eventually learned not only jazz and gospel music but also Western classical music; he performed "from Johann Sebastian Bach to Sergei Rachmaninoff."

The family again moved to the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, where he attended Wendel Phillips High School (the same school Sam Cooke attended a few years later). Cole would sneak out of the house and hang around outside clubs, listening to artists such as Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines and Jimmie Noone. He participated in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School.