Nat "King" Cole

Born March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama

Nat "King" Cole (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965) conquered the pop charts in the 50s and early 60s as a warm-voiced singer of orchestrated ballads like "Mona Lisa" and "Unforgettable" and breezy, countrified sing-alongs like "Ramblin' Rose" and "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer."

He was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1919 and christened Nat "King" Cole by a Los Angeles clubowner in 1937. As both a jazz pianist and pop singer, he made his mark on the middle decades of the 20th century.

Cole's transformation from swinging jazz to pop balladry came in 1946, when "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" became a million seller for his King Cole Trio. When his first orchestrated number, the definitive version of Mel Torme's classic "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)," became a seasonal hit that same year, there was virtually no turning back.

The 50s and 60s found Cole recording with various orchestras, including Nelson Riddle's and Billy May's. While his work from this period shared little with the rock and roll revolution that was under way, Cole's broader influence on the idiom as a musical pioneer and as a popular star is undeniable.