Although as early as
12 he played the organ and sang in his father's church,
his interests were with jazz - an interest and type of
music that displeased his parents because of Jazz's
connection with nightclubs and the sporting life.
However, three of Nat's brothers - Eddie, Fred and Isaac
- were already jazz musicians, and Nat first played
piano in Eddie Coles's jazz band, the Rogues of Rhythm.
In 1936 he moved to
Los Angeles where he formed a group that later became
the King Cole Trio. In 1943, he recorded his first
national hit record, "Straighten Up and Fly Right,"
which was based on one of his father's sermons and on a
traditional black folktale.
Success followed with
"It's Only a Paper Moon" in 1945, "The Christmas Song"
in 1947, "Nature Boy" in 1948, "Mona Lisa" in 1949 and
"Too Young" in 1951.
Cole was the first
black jazz musician to have his own weekly radio show
(1948-49).
In early 1956, Cole
returned to Alabama, where his integrated group played
to a segregated audience in the municipal auditorium in
Birmingham. Four members of the White Citizens Council
attacked him on the stage. Although hurt, Cole returned
to the stage and completed his performance for the
audience of 4,000. Cole, who had frequently visited in
Montgomery, vowed never to return to the South, and he
did not.
Later that year he
became the first black to have a weekly show on network
television (1956-57), but the show was canceled because
it could not find a national sponsor. Although Nat
'King' Cole moved away from jazz, and is best known as a
melodious, smooth singer of such popular songs as
"Pretend," "Route 66," "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open
Fire" and "Rambling Rose," his stronger claim to a place
in musical history is as a jazz pianist. He is also
known as an actor in "St. Louis Blues" (1958) and "Cat
Ballou" (1964).
