Nat King Cole

Nat King Cole was regarded as one of the African American musicians who influenced history. He went on stage and was well known for being a fantastic jazz pianist in the 1940s; moreover, he ruled the music scene in the 1950s and 1960s. His version of "The Christmas Song" (originally recorded by Mel Torme) has become a holiday classic. In addition, the singles "Unforgettable" and "Mona Lisa," as well as a slew of others from the Nat King Cole canon, made an impression. Following that, he earned an Academy Award in 1950 for his work on Captain Carey, USA theme song.

Cole dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to pursue a music career. When his brother Eddie, a bassist, returned home from touring with Noble Sissle, they established a sextet and released two songs for Decca as Eddie Cole's Swingsters in 1936. They appeared in Shuffle Along, a revival of the musical. Nat Cole performed on the musical's tour. He married Nadine Robinson, a member of the cast, in 1937. Cole and Nadine moved to Los Angeles after the program concluded to hunt for jobs.

He led a huge band before landing a job playing piano in nightclubs. When a club owner approached him about forming a band, he enlisted the help of bassist Wesley Prince and guitarist Oscar Moore. They were known as the King Cole Swingsters from the nursery rhyme "Old King Cole was a jolly old soul." Before doing radio transcriptions and recording for tiny labels, they changed their name to the King Cole Trio.

Genres: R&B, Jazz, Traditional Pop, Easy Listening