As a piano player, he formed a jazz trio in 1938 that played Los Angeles nightclubs, one of the first jazz trios featuring guitar and piano. Prior to this he had played music since he was a child and had worked with bands since he was sixteen. He was raised in Chicago and exposed to the abundant jazz scene there. He was heavily influenced by pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines.
Later he became more popularly known as a singer and crooner and his work became more orchestrated.
His first mainstream vocal hit was in 1944 with Straighten Up and Fly Right, based on a black folk tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon. Although hardly a rocker, the song's success proved that an audience for folk-based material existed. It is considered a predecessor to the first rock and roll records. Indeed, Bo Diddley, who performed similar transformations of folk material, counted Cole as an influence.
Beginning in the late 1940s, Cole began recording and performing more pop-oriented material for mainstream audiences, often accompanied by a string orchestra. His stature as a popular icon was cemented during this period with such hits as The Christmas Song (1946), Nature Boy (1948), Mona Lisa (1950), and his signature tune Unforgettable (1951). While this shift to pop music led some jazz critics and fans to accuse Cole of selling out, he never totally abandoned his musical roots; as late as 1956, for instance, he recorded an all-jazz album, After Midnight. In 1991, Mosaic Records released the Complete Nat King Cole Trio Recordings on Capitol, which contained 349 songs on twenty-seven LPs or eighteen CDs.
Throughout the 1950s Cole continued to rack up hit after hit, including Smile, Pretend, A Blossom Fell, and If I May. Most of his pop hits were collaborations with famed arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle. It was with Riddle that Cole released his first ten-inch long-play album in 1953 entitled Sings for Two in Love. Several more albums followed, including the Gordon Jenkins arranged Love Is the Thing, which reached number one on the album charts in April 1957.
Inspired by a trip to Havana, Cuba in 1958, Nat went back there that same year and recorded Cole Espanol, an album sung entirely in Spanish and Portuguese. The album was a hit not only in the U.S., but in Latin America as well. The album was so popular, that two others followed: A mis amigos in 1959, and More Cole Espanol in 1962.
Musical tastes were changing in the late 1950s, and despite a successful stab at rock n' roll with Send for Me, Cole's ballad singing had grown old to younger listeners. Like contemporaries Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, Nat found that the pop singles chart had been almost entirely taken over by youth oriented acts. In 1960, Nat's longtime collaborator Nelson Riddle, left Capitol Records for Frank Sinatra's newly formed Reprise Records label. The two parted ways with one final hit album Wild Is Love, based on lyrics by Ray Rasch and Dotty Wayne. Nat would later re-tool the concept album into an off-Broadway production called I'm With You.
As the 1960s progressed, Nat once again found success on the American singles chart, starting with the country/pop flavored hit Ramblin' Rose in August of 1962. Three more hit singles followed: Dear Lonely Hearts, Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer, and That Sunday, That Summer. Nat's final album was entitled L.O.V.E, and was recorded in late 1964. It was released just prior to his death and reached number four on the Billboard Albums chart in the spring of 1965. A "Best Of" album went gold in 1968. His 1957 song When I Fall in Love was a chart topping hit for the U.K. in 1987.
Cole was the first African-American to have his own radio program. He repeated that success in the late-1950s with the first truly national television show starring an African-American. In both cases, the programs were ultimately canceled because sponsors shied away from a black artist. Cole fought racism all his life, refusing to perform in segregated venues. In 1956, he was attacked on stage in Birmingham, Alabama by members of the White Citizens' Council who apparently were attempting to kidnap him. Despite injuries, Cole completed the show but vowed never to perform in the South again.
On 23rd August 1956, Cole spoke at the Republican National Convention in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California. He was also present at the Democratic National Convention in 1960, to throw his support behind President John F. Kennedy. Cole was also among the dozens of entertainers recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the Kennedy Inaugural gala in 1961. Nat King Cole frequently consulted with President Kennedy (and later President Johnson) on the issue of civil rights. Yet he was dogged by critics, who felt he shied away from controversy when it came to the civil rights issue. Among the most notable was Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who was upset that Cole didn't take stronger action after the 1956 on-stage attack.
In 1948, Cole purchased a house in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The property owners association told Cole they didn't want any undesirables moving in, to which Cole retorted "Neither do I. And if I see anybody undesirable coming in here, I'll be the first to complain."
He and his second wife, Maria Ellington, were married in Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. They had five children, including twin girls. Daughter Carol Cole, and son Kelly Cole were adopted. Kelly Cole died in 1995. Nat's daughter, Natalie Cole, and his younger brother, Freddie Cole are also singers.
Natalie and her father had an unexpected hit in the summer of 1991. The younger Cole mixed a 1961 recording of her father's rendition of Unforgettable with her own voice, creating an electronic duet. Both the song and the album of the same name won several Grammy awards the following year.
Cole performed in many short films, and played W. C. Handy in the film Saint Louis Blues. He also appeared in The Nat King Cole Story, China Gate, and The Blue Gardenia.
Nat King Cole was a heavy smoker of Kool menthol cigarettes, believing that smoking up to three packs a day gave his voice the rich sound it had (Cole would smoke several cigarettes in rapid succession before a recording for this very purpose). Cole died of lung cancer at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, on 15th February 1965. His funeral was held at St. Victor's Catholic Church in West Hollywood, and he was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Cat Ballou, his final film, was released several months later.
La mananitas
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que cantaba el Rey David
Y hoy como es día de tu santo
Te las a ti
Despierta mi bien despierta
Mira que ya amanecí
Ya los pajarillos cantanLa Luna ya se metí
Que linda esta la mañana
En que vengo a saludarte
Venimos todos con gusto
Y placer a felicitarte
El día en que tu naciste
Nacieron todas as flores
En la pila del bautismo
Cantaron los ruiseñores
Ya viene amaneciendo
Ya la luz del día nos dio
Levantate de mañana
Mira que ya amaneció
Estas son las mañanitas
Que cantaba el Rey David
Y hoy como es día de tu santo
Te las cantamos a ti
Despierta mi bien despierta
Mira que ya amaneció
Ya los pajarillos cantan
La Luna ya metí
The lyrics of Nat King Cole's song, Las Mañanitas, are a traditional Mexican birthday song that is sung to celebrate one's birthday. The song starts with an introductory verse that pays homage to King David's singing of the song, which is seen as a symbol of the song's religious importance in Mexican culture. The song's lyrics then turn to the celebration of the birthday person, with the first two lines calling them to wake up as the sun has risen and the birds are singing.
As the song continues, the lyrics praise the beauty of the morning and the joy of coming to wish the birthday person well. The significance of the occasion is emphasized by the symbolism of all the flowers and birds that were created the day the person was born, which is a clear reference to the importance of the day in Mexican culture. Finally, the song repeats the opening verse, again drawing attention to the religious significance of the song's origins and reinforcing the idea that this is a special occasion that deserves to be celebrated.
Overall, Nat King Cole's rendition of Las Mañanitas captures the warm and affectionate spirit of the song, which is about expressing love and admiration for someone special on their birthday.
Line by Line Meaning
These are the morning songs
This is a traditional Mexican song sung during morning celebrations.
That King David used to sing
The lyrics reference King David to give the song a biblical connection and add significance to the occasion.
And today, as it is your Saint's day
The song is being sung to honor the person's religious feast day or day of celebration.
We sing them to you
The singer is dedicating this song to the person being celebrated, wishing them a happy celebration day.
Wake up my love, wake up
The singer is encouraging their loved one to start their day and join the celebration.
Look, I have already woken up
The singer is up early and ready to start the day's celebrations.
The birds are already singing
Nature is already awake, and the sound of birds chirping signals the arrival of a new day.
The moon has already gone to sleep
The night is over, and the moon has set, giving way to daylight.
How beautiful is the morning
The singer is expressing their appreciation for the beauty of the morning and the start of a new day.
That I come to greet you
The singer is expressing their happiness to be able to celebrate the person's special day.
We all come joyfully
Everyone is happy to be celebrating with the person and wishing them well.
To congratulate you with pleasure
The purpose of the song is to offer congratulations and joy to the person being celebrated.
On the day you were born
The lyrics reference the person's birth with the arrival of flowers and birdsong at their baptism.
All the flowers were born
The day the person was born is marked by the birth of all the flowers in the world.
At the baptism font
The place where the person was baptized, and the birds sang in celebration of the event.
The night is ending
The darkness of the night is giving way to the light of day and the start of a new celebration.
The light of day has come
The sun has risen, signaling the start of a new day and the beginning of the celebration.
Wake up my love, wake up
The singer is returning to the opening verse, encouraging their loved one to join in the celebration.
Look, I have already woken up
The singer is still up and ready to celebrate with the person.
The birds are already singing
Nature is already awake, and the sound of birds chirping signals the arrival of a new day.
The moon has already gone to sleep
The night is over, and the moon has set, giving way to daylight.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Gilmore, Jeanette Vanessa Harris, Patrick Kirk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gemmamontoya9733
Hermosa voz , alma y estilo de Nat King Cole ! Inolvidable !❤
@absa77
A pocas horas del cumpleaños 84 de mi mamá, la vuelvo a oír agradecido por tenerla un año más conmigo!
@VintageMusicFm
Saludos y gracias desde Barcelona, España
@gemmamontoya9733
❤❤❤ Inolvidable voz de Nat King Cole !
@nellapadron924
Amo.. recuerdo a mi papá siempre la ponía en casa.❤
@LuisGonzalez-ri3ee
Me recuerda los cumpleaños de mi abuelita Anita, que Dios nuestro Señor la tenga en su santa gloria gloria
@GladysRosa-zs1lg
Me encanta Las mañanitas de Nat King Cole, en los cumpleaños de todos en la familia esa es versión que a todos nos gusta escuchar.👏👏👏.
@edwinjimenez6874
A MI MADRE, VEVITA. FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS ALLÁ EN EL CIELO.
@susanaparrapatino4231
Que hermoso para el cumpleaños 89 de mi mamá 2:46
@deisyabarcacahuana9594
Hermosa perfecta gracias me recuerda a mi niñez ❤