Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was a musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. He owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres. He was one of the first black Americans to host a television variety show, and has maintained worldwide popularity since his death.
Read more about Nat King Cole: Childhood and Chicago, Los Angeles and The King Cole Trio, Early Singing Career, Making Television History, Racism, 1950s and Beyond, Death and Posthumous Achievements, Personal Life, Legacy, Politics, Notable TV Appearances (other Than His Own Show)
Famous quotes containing the words nat, king and/or cole:
“Love is a thyng as any spirit free.
Wommen, of kynde, desiren libertee,
And nat to been constreyned as a thral;
And so doon men, if I sooth seyen shal.”
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1340–1400)
“How the imagination is piqued by anecdotes of some great man passing incognito, as a king in gray clothes.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Has it ever occurred to you that friendship, at best, is a rather doubtful asset? I don’t want friends. I shall have worshippers and followers. People who will obey me because they recognize my greatness. Those who are loyal will be rewarded, and the others—destroyed.”
—Lester Cole (1904–1985)