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.
Save the Bones for Henry Jones
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll eat some food that's rare
And at the head of the table
We'll place brother Henry's chair
Invite all the local big dogs
We'll laugh and talk and eat
But we'll save the bones for Henry Jones
'Cause Henry don't eat no meat
Today I'll go to market
Buy up a lotta fish
Well, that will thrill brother Henry
'Cause fish is his special dish
Get a large can of molasses
Have something really sweet
But we'll save the bones for Henry Jones
'Cause Henry don't eat no meat
Henry is not a drinker
He rarely takes a nip
He don't need a napkin
'Cause the things he eats don't drip ' blip!
One day we had a banquet
It really was a bake
They started off with short ribs
Then finished off with steak
But when the feast was over
Brother Henry just kept his seat
And we served the bones to Henry Jones
'Cause Henry don't eat no meat
Our banquet was most proper
Right down to demitasse
From soup to lox and bagels
And pheasant under glass ' class!
We thought the chops were mellow
He said his chops were beat ' reet!
We served the bones to Henry Jones
'Cause Henry don't eat no meat
He's an egg man
Henry don't eat no meat
He loves a pullet
Henry don't eat no meat
A vegetarian
Henry?
Coming mother!
Soup's on
The song Save The Bones For Henry Jones is a fun and lighthearted tune by Nat King Cole that describes a dinner party that will serve plenty of delicious foods, but will save the bones for the vegetarian guest, Henry Jones. The lyrics describe the ways in which everyone else at the party will enjoy a banquet, while accommodating the dietary restrictions of one person. The song is meant to be humorous and jovial, showcasing a playful and lighthearted look at the dinner party and its characters. The imagery within the lyrics is both delightful and whimsical, making for a pleasant and entertaining experience.
The song’s lyrics are particularly interesting when considering the time in which the song was written. In 1947, vegetarianism was not yet the understood lifestyle choice that it is today. It is a testament to Nat King Cole’s forward-thinking and progressive nature that he would write a song about such an unconventional topic. This was at a time when meat-eating was considered the norm and anything else was regarded as an exotic aberration. The song was particularly revolutionary in its message of accommodation and inclusivity, something that remains relevant even today.
Line by Line Meaning
We're gonna have a supper
We are going to enjoy a meal together
We'll eat some food that's rare
We will have an uncommon menu to make the evening special
And at the head of the table, we'll place brother Henry's chair
Henry is an esteemed guest, so we give him the best seat
Invite all the local big dogs
We will invite the most important people from the neighbourhood or community
We'll laugh and talk and eat
We will have enjoyable conversations and savour our food
But we'll save the bones for Henry Jones
We will keep the bone leftovers for Henry, who does not eat meat
'Cause Henry don't eat no meat
Henry is a vegetarian
Today I'll go to market
I will head to the market to buy ingredients
Buy up a lotta fish
I will buy a lot of fish, which is Henry's preferred dish
Well, that will thrill brother Henry
Henry will be delighted with the menu choices
Get a large can of molasses
I will buy a container of molasses to satisfy a sweet craving
Have something really sweet
We will include a dessert option that is exceptionally sweet
Henry is not a drinker
Henry does not consume alcohol
He rarely takes a nip
He does not indulge in alcohol often
He don't need a napkin
Henry does not require a napkin because he doesn't eat juicy food, so there's no need to wipe anything off his face
'Cause the things he eats don't drip ' blip!
Henry's food options do not leave a mess or require cleaning up on the table
One day we had a banquet
We once held a grand feast
It really was a bake
It was an elaborate meal suited for a special occasion
They started off with short ribs
The meal began with beef short ribs
Then finished off with steak
The meal concluded with steak
But when the feast was over
After the meal was done
Brother Henry just kept his seat
Henry remained seated at the table
And we served the bones to Henry Jones
We gave the leftover bones to Henry instead of throwing them away
'Cause Henry don't eat no meat
Henry is still a vegetarian as always
Our banquet was most proper
Our feast was elegant and well-organized
Right down to demitasse
Even the coffee service was of high quality
From soup to lox and bagels
We had a tremendously varied menu
And pheasant under glass ' class!
We also had fancy meat dishes
We thought the chops were mellow
We assumed the lamb chops would be really good
He said his chops were beat ' reet!
Henry wasn't a fan of the lamb chops
He's an egg man
Henry likes eggs and includes them in his diet
Henry don't eat no meat
Henry is still a vegetarian
He loves a pullet
Henry enjoys chicken (as long as it isn't meat)
Henry?
Someone is calling for Henry's attention
Coming mother!
Henry responds to his mother's call
Soup's on
The soup is ready to be served and the meal can begin
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL BARKER, HENRY MCCOY JONES, MICHAEL H. GOLDSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rettathomas837
🩵🩵🩵 this song, the first time I heard this song, was performed by the pointer sisters, it’s good to hear the original song
@lesliesmith2653
Nat king Cole makes playing the piano look effortless. His voice is just magical no matter what he’s singing.
@gazshaw7
Nat king Cole the forgotten black man made of soul love and individual charisma to make everyone included my man and grandads fav and mine too what a man smiling in the face of adversity and bossing it to give ppl around the world no matter what skin colour a reason to smile. Merry Christmas
@tomthompson5686
That Nat King Cole!!!
w Johnny Mercer!!!
5 stars
@HassoBenSoba
Possibly the 2 greatest American male singers of all time...certainly among the top 5. Yep..Mercer may not have had the voice, but he was a total master performer. LR
@thankusa9795
How was he a master performer? He literally had EVERYTHING a singer wanted. He wrote songs beautifully, and sung them.. beautifully.
@HassoBenSoba
@@thankusa9795 That's how.
@thankusa9795
@@HassoBenSoba Yes, I get why you're calling him a master performer but it just seems you're only calling him that.. like what do you mean that he didn't have the voice...??
@ronniepaddock3993
How fun this song is Love it
@janapourtoi
That's virtual art and entertainment. Thanks Buzz, wherever you are for sharing.