Nat King Cole

Born 1919 · Joined the Ancestors 1965

Fact

First Black American to host a national television variety show

Fact

Pioneered the jazz piano trio format before becoming a vocalist

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His posthumous duet with daughter Natalie won three Grammys

Nathaniel Adams Coles — Nat King Cole — possessed a voice so warm and intimate it felt like a personal conversation. He was one of the best-selling artists of the 1950s and 60s, with hits like "Unforgettable," "Mona Lisa," and "Nature Boy" defining an era of American popular music. But before he was a vocalist, Cole was one of the most influential jazz pianists in history, pioneering a trio format that shaped the sound of modern jazz.

Born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1919 and raised on Chicago's South Side, Cole grew up in a musical family — his father was a Baptist minister and his mother was the church organist. He formed the King Cole Trio in the late 1930s, and their innovative piano-guitar-bass format became the template for countless jazz combos that followed.

In 1956, Cole became the first Black American to host a national television variety show, The Nat King Cole Show on NBC. Despite critical acclaim and strong ratings, the show was canceled after one season because no national sponsor would attach their brand to a Black host. Cole's response was characteristically graceful but pointed: "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark." He continued to perform and record until his death from lung cancer at 45, leaving a catalog that remains timeless.