Nat 'King' Cole - Songs

ABOUT

Nat "King" Cole (March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965) was a celebrated and influential jazz/traditional pop singer and pianist with a clear, velvety baritone and an elegant, laid-back style who became famous beginning in the early 1940s. His numerous signature songs include such pop standards as "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" (1946), "Mona Lisa" (1950), "Too Young" (1951), "Unforgettable" (1951), "A Blossom Fell" (1955), "Ramblin' Rose" (1962), and "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer" (1963). The beloved crooner has also been immortalized by his rendition of "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)," a perennial favorite since it first charted in 1946.

Born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama, he launched his career in the late 1930s as a jazz pianist with his group, The King Cole Trio, before eventually going solo in 1950. From 1956-1957, he hosted his own TV variety show on NBC and also appeared and performed in numerous movies over his long career. In addition to his huge success as a jazz/pop singer, he is also widely considered to be a key figure in jazz piano. Nat "King" Cole was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and his numerous other honors and accolades include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1960), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1990), and being inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (2020). In 2022, his 1961 re-recording of "The Christmas Song" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry.

LINKS

MERCHANDISE

Disclosure: The following links will take you to various online merchants outside of allbutforgottenoldies.net that sell recordings and other merchandise for the performing artist featured on this page. Please note that these are referral or affiliate links from which allbutforgottenoldies.net may receive, at no additional cost to you, a commission if you should make any purchases through them.


VIDEO CLIP

Nat King Cole performs "Walking My Baby Back Home" on The Ed Sullivan Show (October 23, 1955).

Available on the following DVD: The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show Vol. 2

SONGS

To listen to a song clip, click any song title that has a speaker icon. This will take you to a list of links to CD and/or MP3 product pages from one or more online merchants that have sound samples.

Nat 'King' Cole

Jump to:
Previous Artist | Next Artist