Fifty Years Ago: Nat “King” Cole (1919 – 1965)

Unforgettable -- Nat “King” Cole -- Musical royalty.

Nat “King” Cole (1919 – 1965) died fifty years ago on Sunday. Audiences around the world have found his voice … “Unforgettable.”

Early in his career, he played piano in a jazz trio. Later, as he sang more, he recorded more and more hits. Many of his tunes spring to mind just from their titles alone: "Route 66," “Unforgettable,” “When I Fall in Love,” “Smile,” “Paper Moon.” After a visit to Cuba in the 1950s, he recorded three albums in Spanish.

Here is a tune familiar to many: “Quizas, quizas , quizas” (Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps)

Even after his death, his music continues to find new fans. In 1991, Natalie Cole released an album of the songs that her father helped make into standards. Unforgettable... with Love won six Grammys. In the title track, she builds on her father’s voice to sing a duet:

The Extraordinary Nat King Cole was released in 2014 with unreleased tracks and duets.

His memory has been honored recently in the press: Dix choses de savoir sur Nat King Cole, Nat King Cole starb vor 50 Jahren, Fifty Years Ago Today, Nat King Cole morreu há 50 anos.        

Photo: William P. Gottlieb,Wikimedia Commons. This and other jazz photographs by Gottlieb, now held at the Library of Congress as part of the William P. Gottlieb Collection, are per his wishes in the public domain.