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.
The Song Of The Raintree County
Nat King Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you will find the Raintree's a state of the mind, or a dream to enfold.
It was there one day, with the buds of early May,
that you came like a flame from the south.
And I looked into eyes of periwinkle blue and I knew, then I knew
I'd love you in Raintree County, and I'd find what we all seek to know.
We shared the golden dream when we found our true love
in Raintree long ago, for the brave who dare there's a Raintree ev'rywhere.
They say in Raintree County there's a tree bright with blossoms of gold.
But you will find the Raintree's a state of the mind, or a dream to enfold.
It was there one day, with the buds of early May,
that you came like a flame from the south.
And I looked into laughing eyes of sparkling blue and I knew, then I knew
I'd love you in Raintree County, and I'd find what we all seek to know.
We shared the golden dream when we found our true love
in Raintree long ago, for the brave who dare there's a Raintree ev'rywhere.
We who dreamed found it so, long ago.
The Song of the Raintree County is a love song that speaks of a place that is not physical, but rather a state of mind or a dream. The Raintree County is an idyllic place that the singer speaks of with fondness, especially as it relates to the memory of when he first met the person he loves. The lyrics suggest that the Raintree County is a place where true love can be found, and where desires and dreams can be fulfilled.
In the first stanza, the singer recalls the day he met his lover in Raintree County - a day that was bright and full of promise, with buds of early May in bloom. The singer describes his lover's eyes as "periwinkle blue" and "laughing eyes of sparkling blue," implying a sense of joy and wonder that accompanies love in Raintree County. The singer's declaration of love for his partner in Raintree County suggests that the place holds a special significance for them, having strengthened their bond and helped them fulfill their dreams.
The second stanza repeats the same idea - that Raintree County is a place that exists in the mind, where true love and the fulfillment of wishes can be found. The repetition of "they say" implies that the Raintree County is a place that people talk about and seek, but can only be found by those who are brave enough to search for it. The song ends on a hopeful note, that for those who dare, there is a Raintree County everywhere. The repetition of "we who dreamed found it so, long ago" reinforces the idea that Raintree County is a place that can only be found by those who have the courage to dream and believe in the possibility of a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
They say in Raintree County there's a tree bright with blossoms of gold.
Legend has it that in Raintree County, there is a tree adorned with golden flowers.
But you will find the Raintree's a state of the mind, or a dream to enfold.
However, one will discover that the Raintree is more of a mindset or a romanticized vision.
It was there one day, with the buds of early May, that you came like a flame from the south.
It was during a spring day, amid the flowers that you arrived from the south, with a passionate energy.
And I looked into eyes of periwinkle blue and I knew, then I knew I'd love you in Raintree County, and I'd find what we all seek to know.
As I gazed into your bright blue eyes, I realized I would love you here in Raintree County and we would uncover the true meaning of life together.
We shared the golden dream when we found our true love in Raintree long ago, for the brave who dare there's a Raintree ev'rywhere. We who dreamed found it so, long ago.
We experienced a dreamlike state when we discovered our love in Raintree County. For those who are daring enough, there are Raintrees everywhere. We, being the ones who dared to dream, found ours long ago.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN WALDO GREEN, PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jk Stevenson
The arrangement of this song possesses an atmosphere made perfect for this singer. Nat Cole makes this beautiful song unsurpassed in American popular music. Absolutely one of my favorite songs of all time because of this singer.
greg herried
I hadn't watched this movie in a long time and KCET recently showed it in a really vibrant and clear version. I had forgotten what a haunting and beautiful song this is, made even more memorable by the wonderful Nat King Cole!
Rob Foster
Never heard this before. Magical. There was only one Cole. Thank you for posting.
mary mansour
My husband just died recently and this was our favorite song. He was from Indiana and we loved Nat Cole.
kirby19711
Always liked that one. .He was a great artist..one of the greatest. ..
Thanks for posting. ..have subscribed. .
navblue20
Simply one of the greatest voices ever.
June Lynn
a great movie and the song by Nat King Cole is wonderful.....thanks so much for posting it
Wendell Williams
Such a smooth voice; great song!
Wayne Case
Perfectly lovely!
TheMontyandrew
thanks a lot! I was looking for this good stereo version.. very magical song!