The pianist and singer Nat King Cole, originally
named Nathaniel Adams Coles, b. Montgomery, Ala., Mar. 17,
1919, d. Feb. 15, 1965, was the first black singer of popular
ballads who was successful with white audiences. Beginning
in the 1940s, Cole made a series of records with his jazz
trio. In 1956-57 he was the only black with a television series,
and in the 1960s his film, nightclub, and concert appearances
were internationally popular. The soul singer Natalie Cole
is his daughter.
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