Nat King Cole

Fans of the former jazz pianist, who is now considered one of the most important musical personalities in our country's history, will be delighted to be able to visit the town of his birth.

His birthplace, in fact, still stands here.

Although his home was actually moved from it original location and was placed on the campus of Alabama State University, a historical marker now marks the house where he grew up.

Nat's family moved to Chicago when he was just four years old.

So just how much do you know about this man, Nathaniel Adams Coles, who was born on March 17, 1919 and who died on February 15, 1965?

Perhaps you know that his father was a preacher but did you know that Nat was first known as a leading jazz pianist before he was a singer and that he won his first musical competition at the tender age of four?

He used his musical abilities to work in big band and jazz genres, eventually forming a group called the 'King Cole Trio'.

Interestingly, while he was singing, he was also working secretly as a pianist, using various recording pseudonyms.

Did you also know that Nat was the first black American to host a variety show on TV? Yes, it's true.

In the 1940s he was, in fact, the first black performer to have his own radio show and then in the 1950s, was the first black performer to have his own TV show.

That TV show ran for 68 weeks.

Although we are delighted to have such African American celebrities today as Oprah Winfrey etc, Nat's TV and radio exposure all happened at a time when blacks were not welcome in the media, so hosting a public tv show like this was quite revolutionary for the time.

Yet Nat didn't let any of the prejudices he saw around him hold him back and even today he remains one of the top-selling artists of all time with many of his hits being re-released.

You no doubt know that he used his subtle baritone voice in such popular songs as "Ramblin' Rose", "When I Fall in Love" and the Academy Award winning, "Mona Lisa" but did you know that 'Ramblin' Rose" actually remained in the American Top 100 for over 3 years?

It's not surprising then that the singer, who calls up warm, nostalgic thoughts of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, has been honored by the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame as one of America's great musicians.

Little known to many, however is that fact that, to this day, hundreds of unreleased Nat King Cole tracks have never been made available to the public.

They lie in the vaults at Capitol Records, unreleased.

But it's his signature song "Unforgettable" that describes just how any fan of Nat King Cole find him to be - hauntingly etched in their mind.

And that's something every fan of Nat King Cole DOES know.

For more information, contact the CVB at http://www.visitingmontgomery.com/