Sunday, January 31, 2021

Nat "King" Cole

 

Nat "King" Cole, a member of Thomas Waller Lodge 49 in Los Angeles and a 33° Scottish rite Mason, was an American jazz pianist, singer and one of the first African Americans to have his own television show. Since his death, he has remained enormously popular worldwide, adding five posthumous Grammys to the single one he received during his lifetime. In 1991, Cole's daughter, Natalie, released a duet with videos of her father singing one of his great hits, Unforgettable, winning the 1992 Grammy for Record of the Year. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his work in television and one for his music.

Cole was an active and outspoken participant in the Civil Rights movement, often lamenting the fact that entertainers such as himself were accepted in many situations where African Americans in other professions were not. Recognizing his activism, Both presidents Kennedy and Johnson invited him to the White House during their terms. His television show, which aired in 1956 and 1957 had high ratings and enjoyed critical praise; however, in spite of the fact that he was accepted in some entertainment circles, the show was dropped after two seasons because national advertisers would not support a black man.

At a young age, Brother Nat struggled to get his career off the ground. He went broke and, in his words, "was forced to play in every joint from San Diego to Bakersfield." It was in one of those dives that an inebriated customer stuck a hat on his head, called it a crown, and, in a play on his last name, dubbed him "Old King Cole." The nickname stuck and Cole, truly a king in the world of music, forever became Nat King Cole.

Brother Cole owed his success to a soft baritone voice. He was convinced smoking enhanced his rich singing tone and maintained a three-pack-a-day habit during his adult years. Prior to each recording session, he would smoke several cigarettes in quick succession to enhance the effect. Regrettably, the practice took his life in 1965, when he died of lung cancer at the young age of 45.


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