Nat King Cole

De son vrai nom Nathaniel Adams Coles, Nat King Cole est un pianiste déterminant dans l’histoire du jazz avant de devenir un chanteur populaire considéré par tous, comme l’un des plus grands crooners de l’histoire de la musique américaine. Né le 17 mars 1919 à Montgomery (Alabama), Nat King Cole aura une vie personnelle très médiatisée, marquée par sa place d'artiste noir dans une société où la ségrégation raciale est importante. Mort le 15 février 1965 à Santa Monica (Californie), son nom est inscrit au Rock and Roll Hall of Fame en 2000 comme influence du genre rock durant le xxe siècle !

For a mild-mannered man whose music was always easy on the ear, Nat King Cole managed to be a figure of considerable controversy during his 30 years as a professional musician. From the late '40s to the mid-'60s, he was a massively successful pop singer who ranked with such contemporaries as 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. But unlike them, he had not emerged from a background as a band singer in the swing era. Instead, he had spent a decade as a celebrated jazz pianist, leading his own small group.

For a mild-mannered man whose music was always easy on the ear, Nat King Cole managed to be a figure of considerable controversy during his 30 years as a professional musician. From the late '40s to the mid-'60s, he was a massively successful pop singer who ranked with such contemporaries as 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. But unlike them, he had not emerged from a background as a band singer in the swing era. Instead, he had spent a decade as a celebrated jazz pianist, leading his own small group.

Nat King Cole, a man too great to be forgotten, has been loved by many great artists. Four famous albums dedicated to him are thoroughly dissected. Two sets of the best songs that could be called selected from the artist's side. Nat King Cole, a man too great to be forgotten, has been loved by many great artists. Among the countless artists who have covered him, the spotlight is on four who have released tribute albums. Gregory Porter, George Benson, Marvin Gaye, Hibari Misora, and others. This is the ultimate best of the best, which could be called a selection of songs from the artist side.

As an artist Nat King Cole sold over 60 million records by the time of his death, he was an extremely accomplished and important jazz pianist blessed with a highly individual touch, a perfect sense of harmony and great taste, who never descended to the level of banality or the predictable turn of phrase. He was also blessed with an incredible singing voice, which became apparent as his career moved forward. All of his many talents are revealed in this comprehensive 4CD set which spans the years from 1940 to 1950.

If you add up all the songs Nat King Cole placed in the various Billboard singles charts – including not only the pop and R&B charts, but also the adult contemporary and even country ones, as well as the lists of discs "bubbling under" the main pop chart – the total comes to a remarkable 123, and that's not including the many repeat appearances of "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)." The entries begin with "That Ain't Right," the King Cole Trio recording that entered the "Harlem Hit Parade" in the fall of 1942, and end with "Let Me Tell You, Babe," which dropped off the easy listening chart in the summer of 1966 more than two years after Cole's death; they range in popularity from "Straighten Up and Fly Right," which topped the black chart for ten weeks and the country chart for six while also placing in the pop Top Ten in 1944, to "Cappuccina," which spent one week bubbling under the pop chart at number 115 in 1961.

As an artist Nat King Cole sold over 60 million records by the time of his death, he was an extremely accomplished and important jazz pianist blessed with a highly individual touch, a perfect sense of harmony and great taste, who never descended to the level of banality or the predictable turn of phrase. He was also blessed with an incredible singing voice, which became apparent as his career moved forward. All of his many talents are revealed in this comprehensive 4CD set which spans the years from 1940 to 1950.

Nat King Cole, a man too great to be forgotten, has been loved by many great artists. Four famous albums dedicated to him are thoroughly dissected. Two sets of the best songs that could be called selected from the artist's side. Nat King Cole, a man too great to be forgotten, has been loved by many great artists. Among the countless artists who have covered him, the spotlight is on four who have released tribute albums. Gregory Porter, George Benson, Marvin Gaye, Hibari Misora, and others. This is the ultimate best of the best, which could be called a selection of songs from the artist side.