Nat ‘King’ Cole: From the King Cole Trio to International Success

Nathaniel Adams Coles was born on March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama. His professional career began in 1937 with the formation of the King Cole Trio, an ensemble that introduced a significant innovation by eliminating drums and building arrangements on piano, guitar, and double bass. In 1943 came “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” the first commercial success that Cole wrote by reworking a story told by his father, a Baptist minister. The trio became a reference point for subsequent formations and established Cole as a prominent pianist in the jazz landscape.

The transition toward singing consolidated in the 1940s. “Mona Lisa” in 1950 sold over five million copies and won the Oscar for Best Original Song from the film “Captain Carey, U.S.A.” The choice to prioritize singing drew criticism from jazz purists, who saw the abandonment of piano as an artistic loss. Songs like “Unforgettable,” “Too Young,” and “Nature Boy” expanded Cole’s audience, transforming him into a popular music interpreter.

Television represented new territory in 1956, when Cole hosted “The Nat King Cole Show” on NBC, the first national program entrusted to an African American artist. The difficulty in securing national sponsors led to its closure after twelve months. Cole observed that the program was “too sophisticated” for part of the audience and “too Black” for advertisers, a synthesis of the racial contradictions of the era.

Cinema saw him in “Istanbul” in 1957 with Errol Flynn, “China Gate” the same year, “St. Louis Blues” in 1958 in the role of W.C. Handy, and “Cat Ballou” in 1965 alongside Lee Marvin and Jane Fonda, his last screen appearance. He received no Oscar nominations as an actor, but his film performances confirmed the stage presence that characterized his musical performances.

In 1956, during a concert in Birmingham, Alabama, Cole suffered an assault on stage by members of the White Citizens’ Council. The episode determined his decision not to perform again in the South before segregated audiences, a choice maintained until the end of his career.

Cole died on February 15, 1965, in Santa Monica, California, from lung cancer, at 45 years old. His discography counts over one hundred albums. In 1990, his daughter Natalie created a duet with her father’s original recordings on “Unforgettable,” a project that won several Grammys and reintroduced Cole’s voice to a younger audience.