Biography

For a mild-mannered man whose music was easy on the ear, Nat King Cole was a figure of considerable controversy. From the late '40s to the mid-'60s, he was a massively successful pop singer who ranked with Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Dean Martin. He shared with those peers a career that encompassed hit records, international touring, radio and television shows, and appearances in films. As a prominent African-American entertainer during an era of tumultuous change, he sometimes found himself out of favor with different warring sides; his efforts at integration earned the enmity of racists, while civil rights activists sometimes criticized him for not doing enough for the cause. ~ William Ruhlmann

Top Tracks

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• (back Home Again In) Indiana

• (get Your Kicks On) Route 66

• (i Love You) For Sentimental Reasons

• (what Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry?

• A Blossom Fell

• A Cottage For Sale

• A Cradle In Bethlehem

• A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

• Adelita

• Adeste Fideles

• Ain't Misbehavin'

• Almost Like Being In Love

• Am I Blue?

• An Affair To Remember

• Angel Eyes

• Answer Me, My Love

• Are You Fer It?

• At Last

• Autumn Leaves

• Away In A Manger

• Azure-te

• Baby Won't You Please Come Home

• Ballerina

• Beautiful Moons Ago

• Body And Soul

• Bop-kick

• Born Free

• Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

• Bugle Call Rag

• But Beautiful

• But She's My Buddy's Chick

• C Jam Blues

• Call The Police

• Calypso Blues

• Candy

• Caravan

• Caroling, Caroling

• Chant Of The Blues (dog-gone Unlucky Blues)

• Cold, Cold Heart

• Come To Baby, Do!

• Could-'ja

• Crazy She Calls Me

• Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup

• Deck The Halls

• Dinner For One Please, James

• Dixie Jamboree

• Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

• Do You Wanna Jump, Children?

• Don't Cry, Cry Baby

• Don't Get Around Much Anymore

• Don't Let That Moon Get Away

• Don't Let Your Eyes Go Shopping (for Your Heart)

• Dream A Little Dream Of Me

• El Choclo

• Embraceable You

• Everything Happens To Me

• Exactly Like You

• F.d.r. Jones

• Fly Me To The Moon

• From Russia With Love

• Funny (not Much)

• Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You

• Get Me To The Church On Time

• Get Out And Get Under The Moon

• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

• Gone With The Draft

• Harlem Blues

• He'll Have To Go

• Hey Brother, Pour The Wine

• Hit That Jive, Jack

• Hit That Jive, Jack!

• Homeward Bound

• Honey

• Honeysuckle Rose

• Honky Tonk Town

• How Do You Speak To An Angel?

• How High The Moon

• I Almost Lost My Mind

• I Could Have Danced All Night

• I Cover The Waterfront

• I Feel So Smoochie

• I Found A New Baby

• I Get A Kick Out Of You

• I Get Sentimental Over Nothing

• I Got Rhythm

• I Had The Craziest Dream

• I Like To Riff

• I Saw Three Ships

• I Thought You Ought To Know

• I Wouldn't Have Known It

• If I Could Be With You (one Hour Tonight)

• If I Give My Heart To You

• If I Had You

• If You Can't Smile And Say Yes (please Don't Cry And Say No)

• I'll String Along With You

• I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter

• I'm In The Mood For Love

• I'm Lost

• I'm Never Satisfied

• I'm Shooting High

• I'm Thru With Love

• Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?

• It Could Happen To You

• It's Almost Like Being In Love

• It's Crazy (but I'm In Love)

• It's Kind Of Lonesome Out Tonight

• It's Like Taking Candy From A Baby

• It's Only A Paper Moon

• I've Found A New Baby

• I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

• I've Only Myself To Blame

• Jambo

• Jivin' With The Notes

• Joy To The World

• Jump Jack Jump

• Jumpin' At Capitol

• Jumpy Jitters

• Just One Of Those Things

• Just You, Just Me

• Laugh! Cool Clown

• Laura

• Leap Here

• Lester Leaps In

• Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

• Let's Face The Music And Dance

• Let's Fall In Love

• Let's Pretend

• Let's Spring One

• Look No Further

• Lost April

• L-o-v-e

• Love Is Here To Stay

• Love Letters

• Love Walked In

• Lullaby In Rhythm

• Lush Life

• Makin' Whoopee

• Medley: For All We Know/embraceable You

• Meet Me At No Special Place (and I'll Be There At No Particular Time)

• Memories Are Made Of This

• Mona Lisa

• Mood Indigo

• Moonlight In Vermont

• More Moon

• Mr. Cole Won't Rock & Roll

• My Baby Just Cares For Me

• My Baby Likes To Be-bop

• My Heart Stood Still

• My Lips Remember Your Kisses

• My One Sin (in Life)

• Nature Boy

• Night Lights

• O Little Town Of Bethlehem

• O Tannenbaum

• On The Sidewalks Of New York

• On The Street Where You Live

• On The Sunny Side Of The Street

• Once In A Blue Moon

• Orange Colored Sky

• Papa Loves Mambo

• Peg O'my Heart

• People

• Perfidia

• Pitchin' Up A Boogie

• Portrait Of Jennie

• Pretend

• Ramblin' Rose

• Red Sails In The Sunset

• Return To Me

• Riding On The Gravy Train

• Riffin' At The Bar-b-q

• Riffin' In F Minor

• Route 66

• Route 66 Kicks

• Save The Bones For Henry Jones

• Scotchin' With The Soda

• Sentimental Blue

• September Song

• Shoo Shoo Baby

• Smile

• St. Louis Blues

• Stardust

• Stella By Starlight

• Stop! The Red Light's On

• Straighten Up And Fly Right

• Sunday, Monday Or Always

• Sweet Georgia Brown

• Sweet Lorraine

• Tenderly

• That Sunday, That Summer

• That's My Girl

• The Ballad Of Cat Ballou

• The Christmas Blues

• The Christmas Song

• The Christmas Song (chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)

• The End Of A Love Affair

• The Frim Fram Sauce

• The Horse Told Me

• The Late, Late Show

• The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot

• The Little Christmas Tree

• The Party's Over

• The Touch Of Your Lips

• The Way You Look Tonight

• Then I'll Be Tired Of You

• There Is No Greater Love

• There I've Said It Again

• This Can't Be Love

• This Will Make You Laugh

• Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer

• Those Lazy-hazy-crazy Days Of Summer

• Thou Swell

• Three Blind Mice

• Thunder

• To The Ends Of The Earth

• To Whom It May Concern

• Too Marvelous For Words

• Too Young

• Undecided

• Unforgettable

• Until The Real Thing Comes Along

• Vom, Vim Veedle

• Walkin' My Baby Back Home

• Welcome To The Club

• What Is This Thing Called Love?

• When I Fall In Love

• When I Take My Sugar To Tea

• When My Sugar Walks Down The Street

• When Your Lover Has Gone

• When You're Smiling (the Whole World Smiles With You)

• Where Can I Go Without You?

• Where Or When

• White Christmas

• Wild Is Love

• Windy City Boogie Woogie

• Yes Sir, That's My Baby

• You Call It Madness (but I Call It Love)

• You Made Me Love You

• You Stepped Out Of A Dream

• You're My Thrill

• You're The Cream In My Coffee

• You've Changed

Discography

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• Thank You, Pretty Baby

  Capitol

  1967

• Nat Cole at J.A.T.P., Vol. 1

  Verve

  1966

• Nat Cole at J.A.T.P., Vol. 2

  Verve

  1966

• L-O-V-E

  Capitol

  1965

• Nat King Cole Sings My Fair Lady

  Capitol

  1964

• I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore

  Capitol

  1964

• Let's Face the Music!

  Capitol

  1964

• Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer

  Collectors' Choice Music

  1963

• Top Pops

  Capitol

  1963

• Nat King Cole Sings the Blues, Vol. 2

  Capitol

  1963

• Dear Lonely Hearts

  1962

• Ramblin' Rose

  Capitol/EMI Records

  1962

• More Cole Español

  Capitol

  1962

• Nat King Cole Sings the Blues, Vol. 1

  Capitol

  1962

• The Touch of Your Lips

  EMI-Capitol Special Markets

  1961

• Wild Is Love

  Collectors' Choice Music

  1960

• Tell Me All About Yourself

  Capitol

  1960

• Every Time I Feel the Spirit

  Collectors' Choice Music

  1960

• To Whom It May Concern

  Capitol/EMI Records / Capitol

  1959

• A Mis Amigos

  Collectors' Choice Music

  1959

• Welcome to the Club

  Capitol

  1959

• The Very Thought of You

  EMI Music Distribution

  1958

• Cole Español

  Capitol

  1958

• The Swingin' Side

  Capitol

  1958

• Just One of Those Things

  Analogue Productions / APO (Analogue Production Originals) / Capitol

  1957

• This Is Nat "King" Cole

  Capitol

  1957

• Love is the Thing

  Japanese Import

  1957

• The Lester Young-King Cole Trio

  Capitol

  1957

• The Piano Style of Nat King Cole

  Blue Note

  1956

• 10th Anniversary

  Collectors' Choice Music

  1955

• Instrumental Classics

  Capitol

  1955

• Vocal Classics

  Capitol

  1955

• Sings for Two in Love

  Capitol

  1954

• Unforgettable: Songs by Nat King Cole

  Collectors' Choice Music

  1954

• The King Cole Trio [Aladdin]

  Aladdin Records

  1954

• Eight Top Pops

  Capitol

  1954

• Penthouse Serenade

  Blue Note / Capitol

  1952

• Nat King Cole at the Piano

  1950

• The King Cole Trio, Vol. 2

  Capitol

  1946

• The King Cole Trio [Capitol]

  Capitol

  1944