Blog - Nat King Cole, An American Revolutionary

2008-07-11 21:00:08

Nat King Cole Timeline from the Nat King Cole Society March 17, 1919 Nathaniel Adams Cole is born in Montgomery, Alabama 1937 Cole forms the King Cole Trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince. 1940 The King Cole Trio records its first sides for the Decca label. November 30, 1943 Cole’s first session for Capitol Records yields the classics “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You?” June 8, 1946 Cole’s recording of “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66” enters the R&B chart, where it will peak at #3. Later that summer, it becomes a pop hit as well, just missing the Top Ten. June 10, 1950 “Mona Lisa,” a ballad that Cole initially didn't like, reaches #1 and sells 3 million copies. August 17, 1951 Cole records “Unforgettable,” which reaches #12. Forty years later, Natalie Cole overdubs her voice onto the original, creating a father-daughter duet that nearly charts as high. July 1, 1957 “Send for Me,” Cole’s most overtly rock & roll-oriented number, enters Billboard’s R&B chart, which it will top for two weeks. December 1, 1957 Cole hosts the 64th and final episode of The Nat King Cole Show, a 15-minute weekly variety show aired on NBC-TV. It ends for lack of national advertisers willing to sponsor a show hosted by a black man. September 15, 1962 “Ramblin’ Rose” reaches #2, becoming Cole's highest-charting pop single. It also hits #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #7 on the R&B chart. February 15, 1965 Nat King Cole dies of lung cancer. Related Links:
Nat King Cole: When I Fall in Love program on Ovation TV Nat King Cole albums on Amazon Nat King Cole on Artist Direct (bio, clips, albums etc) Sample Tracks from The World of Nat King Cole


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