Nathaniel Adams Coles
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Awards
Nat King Cole, born Nathaniel Adams Coles in 1919, recorded over 28 gold records including Unforgettable and Mona Lisa. He became the first African-American to host a network TV series, The Nat King Cole Show, in 1956. A heavy smoker, he died of lung cancer at age 45 in 1965. His music remains widely played, and he broke racial barriers in television.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Nat King Cole — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Nat King Cole by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Nat King Cole — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
By age 12, Cole played the church organ; at 14 he formed a 14-piece band called the Royal Dukes. He grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, before his family moved to Chicago when he was five. His mother gave him piano lessons, and his father, Edward James Coles, was a minister at True Light Baptist Church. He played baseball and football at Wendell Phillips Academy High School.
In 1939, Nat King Cole formed the King Cole Trio after a publicist placed a silver crown on his head. The trio’s recording of Straighten Up and Fly Right sold for $50 and became a hit. Cole recorded 28 gold records, including Mona Lisa 1949, Too Young 1951, and The Christmas Song. In 1956, he became the first African-American to host a network TV show, The Nat King Cole Show, though it lacked a national sponsor and was canceled. He also acted in films, including Cat Ballou 1965.
Cole married Maria Cole, a big-band singer, in 1948 after meeting at the Zanzibar nightclub in Los Angeles. Her parents opposed the marriage, calling him too black, but they wed at Abyssinian Baptist Church. They had five children: adopted daughters Carol and Nat Kelly, biological Natalie, and twins Timolin and Casey. In 1956, Cole was attacked onstage in Birmingham, Alabama, by six white supremacists, sustaining minor back injuries.
Nat King Cole recorded 28 gold records that remain widely known. He posthumously received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as an Early Influence. He broke racial barriers as the first African-American to host a TV series. His baritone voice and songs like Unforgettable continue to attract new listeners.
The complete filmography of Nat King Cole — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Nat King Cole — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Nat King Cole — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
All I Want to Do Is Sing and Make People Happy.
Little-known facts about Nat King Cole — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
After moving to the upscale Hancock Park area of Los Angeles in the late 1940s, Nat King Cole faced opposition from white residents. He responded to a letter about undesirables by stating he also opposed them. After legal attempts failed, the neighbors eventually accepted the Cole family. Years after his death, his widow Maria sold the home to a wealthy African-American family.
Nat King Cole made history as the first African-American to host his own network television show, The Nat King Cole Show, which aired in 1956.
Cole’s variety show lacked a national sponsor throughout its run, so NBC carried it on a sustaining basis. Top stars like Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, and Sammy Davis Jr. performed for minimal or no salary out of respect. Despite NBC’s willingness to continue, Cole ended the show, remarking that Madison Avenue was afraid of the dark.
A lifelong heavy smoker, Nat King Cole smoked up to three packs of Kool menthol cigarettes daily, believing it gave his voice a low, rich sound. Despite being advised to quit after an ulcer operation in 1953, he continued. He was hospitalized with lung cancer on December 6, 1964, and died on February 15, 1965 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica.
Cole was an avid baseball fan and held a permanent box seat at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where he frequently attended games.
Nat King Cole recorded over 28 gold records, including Get Your Kicks on Route 66, Sweet Lorraine, The Christmas Song, Mona Lisa, Too Young, Ramblin’ Rose, and Unforgettable, all on Capitol Records.
For his role in the film China Gate 1957, Cole earned only $5,000, but he received $75,000 for singing Three Coins in the Fountain during the opening credits.
Cole attended the Democratic National Convention in 1960.
On May 18, 1965, the NBC special The Best on Record featured Sammy Davis Jr. performing a musical tribute to his friend Nat King Cole.
Cole had five children: adopted daughter Carol Cole 1944-2009, biological daughter Natalie Cole 1950-2015, adopted son Nat Kelly Cole 1959-1995, died of AIDS, and twin daughters Timolin and Casey Cole born 1961.
Cole posthumously won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989. During his lifetime he was nominated for a Grammy only once, in 1958, and did not win.
Nat King Cole has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for Television at 6229 Hollywood Boulevard and one for Recording at 6659 Hollywood Boulevard.
Cole married his second wife Maria Cole in 1948 at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church, with the ceremony performed by Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Cole was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as an Early Influence. His songs Straighten Up and Fly Right and Route 66 have been covered by artists such as Chuck Berry, Tom Petty, and the Rolling Stones.
Cole recorded tracks for his final album L-O-V-E less than two weeks before his death; the album was released posthumously by Capitol Records in 1965.
Cole performed at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration on January 20, 1961.
In 1993, Cole was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
Cole addressed the Republican National Convention in 1956.
Around 1961, Cole invested in a paper-cup manufacturing business in Puerto Rico.
He was the brother of singer Freddy Cole.
During a 1956 concert in Birmingham, Alabama, Cole was attacked onstage by two members of the White Citizens Council and suffered back injuries.
Cole is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in the Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Heritage.
He was also the brother of bandleader Eddie Cole.
Johnny Mathis once mentioned that at age 12, Cole won a local talent contest and received a turkey as first prize.
Cole possessed a baritone vocal range spanning 3.5 octaves.
Nat King Cole was born at 9:00 am Central Standard Time.
Gunilla Hutton was Cole’s longtime mistress.
Cole’s 1948 wedding to Maria Cole was officiated by Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Nat King Cole.
Celebrities similar to Nat King Cole — same craft, ranked by reach.
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