Nat King Cole

Nat " King" Cole, Nathaniel Adams Coles actually, ( born March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama, † February 15, 1965 in Santa Monica, California ) was an American jazz pianist and singer.

Life and work as a musician and singer

Nat Cole grew up as the son of Baptist preacher Edward Coles and played at the age of four years of piano in his father's church.

He began his musical career with a small formation called "The Rogues of Rhythm" ( roughly: " Rhythm Rogues " ), his brother Eddie was soon added, and the group took over finally under his name as " Eddie Cole's band," later " Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers ". Under this name they took on so-called rare records ( rare footage ) for the sub-label " Sepia " by Decca Records. The tape was then part of the orchestra a Broadway show titled "Shuffle Along"; with her she also appeared on the West Coast, where the company failed then. Nat Cole then decided to stay in Los Angeles to perform there as a pianist. Bob Lewis, the owner of the Swanee Inn, heard him in the "Century Club"; he hired him for his club and Nat Cole presented once a rhythm section together. He chose the bassist Wesley Prince, the guitarist Oscar Moore and initially the drummer Lee Young, but later worked with the trio without drums Instrumentation. The result was 1939, the legendary Nat King Cole Trio - the beginning of his great career.

His role model in the piano game was Earl Hines; he combined his techniques with the melodic exercises he had learned in his father's church. Shortly after his 1943 trio had recorded the first recordings for Capitol, it was considered the most influential small group. The Nat King Cole Trio sparked a boom of trios and quintets; they were followed by et al The Barbara Carroll Trio, the George Shearing Quintet, the Erroll Garner Trio and the Art Van Damme Quintet. Cole has been singing from the very beginning together with his colleagues in the Nat King Cole Trio. Instrumental pieces were among the recordings, as well as some who were supplemented with the three-part vocals. The choruses were very percussive and onomatopoeic. In 1943, Cole began beside his piano playing then ballad to sing, which made him a model of the following Crooners, in Gegennatz to swing shouters; his first success titles on the Billboard charts was " All for You " in November 1943, which reached rank 18 for a week, followed by the first hits such as " Straighten Up and Fly Right" (1944, # 9), "I Can not See for Looking " (# 28 ), and finally in October 1944 " Gee, baby, Is not I Good to You ", Cole made ​​the jazz standard. In November 1946, "King" Cole scored the first No. 1 hit with " (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons", the new song, had written to the Deek Watson of the Ink Spots the text, spent 25 weeks in the charts. At Christmas, 1946 ( and again in 1947 and 1948) he had a hit with "The Christmas Song", in which dominated the song; In 1947, he sang a duet with Johnny Mercer, the Van Heusen number " Harmony ".

Cole's international success as a singer turned abruptly in 1948 with his recording of the song " Nature Boy ", which only significant composition of the then completely unknown Californian dropout Eden Ahbez. In the song created in August 1947, he was accompanied not only by his trio, but a studio orchestra. " Nature Boy " was eight weeks at No 1 on the national charts. End of the year, Oscar Moore left the trio; he was replaced by Irving Ashby, who at Coles next hit " Lost April " (# 20) was involved, also the last song on the success died 1949 Eddie DeLange.

In 1950, he took with accompaniment of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, the TV tune "Orange Coloured Sky " on; Beginning of 1951 he was back with a " Seasons " song in the charts ( " Frosty the Snowman "). The early 50s produced more and more titles in which his singing was in the foreground and he of orchestras - such as Nelson Riddle at his next number - one hit " Too Young " and the Oscar-nominated "My Flaming Heart " (1953) - or by Pete Rugolo ( " Funny ( Not Much ) ", 1952), Les Baxter at million-seller "Mona Lisa" (1950), Billy May ( "Can not I", 1953) or Summy Burke ( " Say ' Si Si ' " ) was accompanied.

In September, he had a hit with Charlie Chaplin composition " Smile", which had composed this in 1936 for his film Modern Times. In 1955, his trio at the end, the original cast was no longer there; String parts dominated his arrangements. Cole began working as a soloist for Capitol Records and was playing the piano more and more on. In this solo career, Cole away more and more from jazz to pop out, but took under a pseudonym ( Eddie Laguna, Shorty Nadine, Sam Schmaltz ) with jazz greats such as Buddy Rich and Lester Young on plates.

Cole's first marriage to Nadine Robinson ended in 1948, only six days after the divorce, he married singer Maria Hawkins Ellington on Easter Sunday 1948 marriage lasted until his death. .; three children come from the compound, including singer Natalie Cole.

Cole joined politically for the rights of African Americans. The heavy smokers died of lung cancer.

Known interpreted by him title

• Its Only a Paper Moon
• Straighten Up and Fly Right
• Sweet Lorraine
• Nature Boy
• Mona Lisa
• Lush Life
• Poinciana
• Ramblin 'Rose
• Unforgettable
• When I fall in love
• L -O- V -E
• Fascination
• Embraceable You
• Those Lazy- Hazy - Crazy Days of Summer
• Autumn Leaves
• ( Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
• O Tannenbaum
• Is You Is, Or Is Not My Baby ( Ida James )
• Looking back

Collections

• The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio (1942-1961) - ( Mosaic - 1991) - 27 LPs and 18 CDs with Oscar Moore, Red Callender, Johnny Miller, Johnny Mercer vocals, Irving Ashby, Jack Costanzo perc, Pete Rugolo arr, Woody Herman voc, Nellie Lutcher voc, Ernie Royal, Charlie Barnet, Lee Young, Stan Kenton Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, Bud Shank, Art Pepper, Bob Cooper, Shelly Manne, Neal Hefti arr, John Collins Ray Anthony Orchestra, Chris Griffin, Nelson Riddle arr, Harry Sweets Edison, Willie Smith, Juan Tizol, Stuff Smith

Television and movie appearances

Nat King Cole had his own radio show, and later his own TV show in the United States. On November 5, 1956 ran on the American station the first episode of " Nat King Cole Show". Although the African-American singer and jazz pianist Hazel Scott was previously occurred with his own show, but with Nat King Cole for the first time showed a male singer on the small screen. Originally only 15 minutes long programs were renewed in July 1957 for 30 minutes. Due to the lack of sponsors, the mission was discontinued on 17 December 1957.

Nat King Cole also starred in several feature films. Best known in Germany as a singer in his appearance is " Cat Ballou - Hang thou shalt in Wyoming ," along with Stubby Kaye. Very often it was used for a theme song, as in " Gardenia - A woman wants to forget " ( The Blue Gardenia, 1953), "Rat 's Nest" (Kiss Me Deadly, 1955), "The Land of the Rain Tree" ( Raintree County, 1957) and St. Louis Blues (1958 ), or were just played his songs, and after his death in " Raging Bull " ( Raging Bull, 1980) or in " Garp and how he saw the world" ( the World According to Garp, 1982). Part of his film songs has been released on the LP " Nat King Cole Sings Songs from the Movies" ( Capitol Vine Series, VMP 1008).

Movies

A brief supporting role played Cole in Orson Welles' masterpiece " Citizen Kane". In 1953, the wedding of 3D movies, even Nat King Cole was spatially in front of the camera in the music short film Pretend, advertised as " Hollywood 's First Musical Featurette in 3- dimension."