7 Nat King Cole 7however, when Cole began doubling as a solo singer. Their
first chart success, “Straighten Up and Fly Right” (1943),
was followed by hits such as “Sweet Lorraine,” “It’s Only a
Paper Moon,” “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons,”
and “Route 66.” Eventually, Cole’s piano playing took a
backseat to his singing career. Noted for his warm tone
and flawless phrasing, Cole was regarded among the top
male vocalists, although jazz critics tended to regret his
near-abandonment of the piano. He first recorded with a
full orchestra (the trio serving as rhythm section) in 1946
for “The Christmas Song,” a holiday standard and one of
Cole’s biggest-selling recordings. By the 1950s, he worked
almost exclusively as a singer, with such notable arrangers
as Nelson Riddle and Billy May providing lush orchestral
accompaniment. “Nature Boy,” “Mona Lisa,” “Too Young,”
“A Blossom Fell,” and “Unforgettable” were among his
major hits of the period. He occasionally revisited his jazz
roots, as on the outstanding album After Midnight (1956),
which proved that Cole’s piano skills had not diminished.
Cole’s popularity allowed him to become the first
African American to host a network variety program, The
Nat King Cole Show, which debuted on NBC television in
- The show fell victim to the bigotry of the times,
however, and was canceled after one season; few sponsors
were willing to be associated with a black entertainer. Cole
had greater success with concert performances during the
late 1950s and early ’60s and twice toured with his own
vaudeville-style reviews, The Merry World of Nat King Cole
(1961) and Sights and Sounds (1963). His hits of the early
’60s—“Ramblin’ Rose,” “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of
Summer,” and “L-O-V-E”—indicate that he was moving
even farther away from his jazz roots and concentrating
almost exclusively on mainstream pop. Adapting his style,
however, was one factor that kept Cole popular up to his
early death from lung cancer in 1965.