Black History Month Music: Nat “King” Cole

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Howdy from home! I’m waiting in on an Amazon delivery so I didn’t go out today. That’s good, because it also enabled me to get my laundry done. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, here’s another great with whom we celebrate Black History Month musically. Nat “King” Cole Now you see why there’s no numerical ordering of this month’s list? How DO you??? I mention this every time I mention him, not to be repetitive but because I think it’s so darn funny: Nat “King” Cole had a #1 COUNTRY song in 1944. Back then the chart was called “Hillbilly, western, folk, and race,” so I guess Billboard lumped everything that wasn’t popular or classical into one group. (Funny post script: Cole was knocked out of #1 by Louis Jordan’s “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby.” ) It’s not that big a surprise. Cole was one of the greatest vocalists of the era. He was loved by black and white audiences alike, but that didn’t help him in the turbulent 50s. He was assaulted by whites in Birmingham, and black-owned newspapers accused him of being an “Uncle Tom” because he played two shows in southern venues: one for the white audiences and one for the blacks. (Cole would probably have had it much worse if it had been public knowledge at the time that he’d had an affair with white actress/singer/dancer Gunilla Hutton [later famous for roles on Petticoat Junction and Hee Haw].) Cole was the singing troubadour/narrator in the film Cat Ballou. Unfortunately, he died of lung cancer before the film was released. He was only 45. Cole was one of the greatest singers of his era. Scratch that, he was one of the greatest singers of any era. Nat “King” Cole Born Nathaniel Adams Coles, March 17, 1919, Montgomery, Alabama Died February 15, 1965, Santa Monica, California (lung cancer) (age 45) HALLS OF FAME: Rock and Roll, 1990; National Rhythm & Blues, 2020; Down Beat Jazz, 1997; Songwriters, 1992; Alabama Music, 1985; Alabama Jazz Music, 1985. Here’s Cole’s #1 country hit, “Straighten Up and Fly Right”: