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Nat 'King' Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and pop vocalist started in the late 1930s and spanned almost three decades where he found success and recorded over 100 songs that became hits on the pop charts. Cole started his career as a jazz pianist in the late 1930s, when he formed the King Cole Trio, which became the top-selling group (and the only black act) on Capitol Records in the 1940s. Cole's trio was the model for small jazz ensembles that followed. Starting in 1950, he transitioned to become a solo singer billed as Nat King Cole. Despite achieving mainstream success, Cole faced intense racial discrimination during his career. While not a major vocal public figure in the civil rights movement, Cole was a member of his local NAACP branch and participated in the 1963 March on Washington. He regular ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 200,603 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Alabama, third-most populous city in the state, after Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham, and the List of United States cities by population, 133rd-most populous in the United States. The Montgomery metropolitan area's population in 2022 was 385,460; it is the fourth-largest in the state and 142nd among Metropolitan statistical area, U.S. metropolitan areas. Montgomery is the county seat, seat of Montgomery County, Alabama, Montgomery County. The city was incorporated in 1819 as a merger of two towns situated along the Alabama River. It replaced Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa as the state capital in 1846, representing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Racial Discrimination
Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their Race (human categorization), race, ancestry, ethnicity, ethnic or national origin, and/or Human skin color, skin color and Hair, hair texture. Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain group. Governments can discriminate explicitly in law, for example through policies of racial segregation, disparate enforcement of laws, or disproportionate allocation of resources. Some jurisdictions have anti-discrimination laws which prohibit the government or individuals from being discriminated based on race (and sometimes other factors) in various circumstances. Some institutions and laws use affirmative action to attempt to overcome or compensate for the effects of racial discrimination. In some cases, this is simply enhanced recruitment of members of underrepresented groups; in other cases, there are firm racial quotas. Opp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Straighten Up And Fly Right
"Straighten Up and Fly Right" is a 1943 song written by Nat King Cole and Irving Mills and one of the first vocal hits for the King Cole Trio. It was the trio's most popular single, reaching number one on the Harlem Hit Parade for ten nonconsecutive weeks. The single also peaked at number nine on the pop charts. "Straighten Up and Fly Right" also reached number one for six nonconsecutive weeks on the Most Played Jukebox Hillbilly Records. Background The song was based on a Black folk tale that Cole's father had used as a theme for one of his sermons. In the tale, a buzzard takes different animals for a joy ride. When he gets hungry, he throws them off on a dive and eats them for dinner. A monkey who had observed this trick goes for a ride; he wraps his tail around the buzzard's neck and gives the buzzard a big surprise by nearly choking him to death. The song's harmonic structure is based on that of the George and Ira Gershwin's song, " I Got Rhythm". The King Cole Trio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stardust (1927 Song)
"Stardust" is a List of 1920s jazz standards, 1927 song Musical composition, composed by Hoagy Carmichael, with lyrics later added by Mitchell Parish. It has been recorded as an instrumental or Human voice, vocal track over 1,500 times. Carmichael developed a taste for jazz while attending Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University. He formed his own band and played at local events in Indiana and Ohio. Following his graduation, Carmichael moved to Florida to work for a law firm. He left the law sector and returned to Indiana, after learning of the success of one of his compositions. In 1927, after leaving a local university hangout, Carmichael started to whistle a tune that he later developed further. When composing the song, he was inspired by the end of one of his Romance (love), love affairs, and on the suggestion of a university classmate, he decided on its title. The same year, Carmichael recorded an instrumental version of the song for Gennett Records. In 1928, Car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Autumn Leaves (1945 Song)
"Autumn Leaves" is the English-language version of the French song "Les Feuilles mortes" ("The Dead Leaves") composed by Joseph Kosma in 1945. The original lyrics were written by Jacques Prévert in French, and the English lyrics were by Johnny Mercer. An instrumental recording by pianist Roger Williams (pianist), Roger Williams was a number one best-seller in the List of Billboard number-one singles of 1955, US ''Billboard'' charts of 1955. Since its introduction "Autumn Leaves" has become a jazz standard, and it is one of the most recorded songs by jazz musicians. More than a thousand commercial recordings are known to have been released by mainstream jazz and pop musicians. Background Kosma was a native of Hungary who was introduced to Prévert in Paris, and they collaborated on the song "Les Feuilles mortes". The song was legally deposited in 1945, and published in 1947. The song has its origin in the ballet music written by Kosma for ''Le Rendez-vous'' by Roland Petit, per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole Song)
"Mona Lisa" is a popular song written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the Paramount Pictures film ''Captain Carey, U.S.A.'' (1949), in which it was performed by Sergio de Karlo and a recurrent accordion motif. The title and lyrics refer to the renaissance portrait ''Mona Lisa'' painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1950. Nat King Cole version The song's first musical arrangement was in an orchestration by Nelson Riddle, and the orchestral backing was played by Les Baxter and his Orchestra. The recording was originally the B-side of "The Greatest Inventor Of Them All." In an ''American Songwriter'' magazine interview, Jay Livingston recalled that the original advertisements for the record did not even mention "Mona Lisa"; only upon returning home from a publicity junket of numerous radio programs did the song become a hit. The cover version by Nat King Cole spent five weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' singles char ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Let There Be Love (1940 Song)
"Let There Be Love" is a popular song with music by Lionel Rand and lyrics by Ian Grant, published in 1940. Lyrically, the song talks about the joy of the existence of, in order: the singer and his beloved, oysters under the sea, occasional weather changes ("let there be wind / occasional rain"), chili con carne, champagne, birds that sing, friends ("someone to bless me whenever I sneeze"), birds of various kinds ("cuckoos, a lark and a dove"), but that all of these would mean nothing if love were not put first ("but first of all - please / Let there be love"). The song is a well-known standard with cover versions by many artists, notably Nat King Cole. Recorded versions *Abe Lyman and his Californians (recorded April 17, 1940, released by Bluebird Records as catalog number 10685, with the flip side "Then I'll Be Happy") * Al Donahue and his Orchestra (recorded March 18, 1940, released by Vocalion Records as catalog number 5454, also released by Conqueror Records as catalog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
When I Fall In Love
"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes' last film '' One Minute to Zero'' as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952. Day's recording was made on June 5, 1952. It was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39786 and issued with the flip side "Take Me in Your Arms". The song reached number 20 on the ''Billboard'' chart. A 1996 recording by Natalie Cole, sung as a duet with her father Nat King Cole using vocals from his 1956 version, won 1996 Grammys for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s). Notable recordings * A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nature Boy
"Nature Boy" is a song first recorded by American jazz singer Nat King Cole. It was released on March 29, 1948, as a single by Capitol Records, and later appeared on the 1961 album '' The Nat King Cole Story''. It was written by eden ahbez as a tribute to Bill Pester, who practiced the ''Naturmensch'' and ''Lebensreform'' philosophies adopted by Ahbez. The lyrics of the song relate to a 1940s Los Angeles–based group called "Nature Boys", a subculture of proto-hippies of which Ahbez was a member. "Nature Boy" was released during the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) ban of 1948. It reached the top of the ''Billboard'' music charts and sold over a million copies, helping to establish Cole's solo career, and introducing him to the white music market. "Nature Boy" was the subject of lawsuits, with Yiddish composer Herman Yablokoff claiming that it was plagiarized from his song "" (, "Be Still My Heart"). Eventually, Ahbez and Yablokoff settled out of court. In 1999, the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
L-O-V-E
"L-O-V-E" is a song written by Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler, recorded by Nat King Cole for his 1965 studio album '' L-O-V-E''. Composition and background The song was composed by Bert Kaempfert with lyrics by Milt Gabler, and produced by Lee Gillette. The trumpet solo was performed by Bobby Bryant. The song had previously appeared as an instrumental track on Kaempfert's album '' Blue Midnight'' (1964). For international versions of his '' L-O-V-E'' album, Nat King Cole also recorded versions of "L-O-V-E" and other songs, in Japanese (mixed with English words), Italian, German, Spanish and French. In this last language, the song was renamed "''Je Ne Repartirai Pas''" and translated by Jean Delleme. Joss Stone version English singer Joss Stone recorded a cover of "L-O-V-E" for the soundtrack to a commercial for Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle fragrance. The ad, starring Keira Knightley and directed by Joe Wright, debuted on September 24, 2007, on E!, Bravo, and VH1. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smile (Charlie Chaplin Song)
"Smile" is a song based on the theme song used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film '' Modern Times''. Background Chaplin, who composed the song with the help of composer David Raksin, was inspired by a sequence in the first act love duet from Puccini's opera ''Tosca'', beginning with Cavaradossi singing "Quale occhio al mondo può star di paro". John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and title in 1954. In the lyrics, based on lines and themes from the film, the singer is telling the listener to cheer up and that there is always a bright tomorrow, just as long as they smile. "Smile" has become a popular standard since its original use in Chaplin's film and has been recorded by numerous artists. Cover versions Nat King Cole version Nat King Cole recorded the first version with lyrics. It charted in 1954, reaching number 10 on the ''Billboard'' charts and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. This version was also used at the beginning of the 1975 movie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unforgettable (Nat King Cole Song)
"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable", however, the music publishing company asked Gordon to change it to "Unforgettable". The song was published in 1951. Nat King Cole version The most popular version of the song was recorded by Nat King Cole, in 1951, from his album, ''Unforgettable'' (1952), with an arrangement written by Nelson Riddle. A non-orchestrated version of the song, recorded in 1952, is featured as one of the seven bonus tracks on Cole's 1998 CD reissue of 1955's otherwise completely instrumental album, '' Penthouse Serenade''. On March 30, 1961, Nat King Cole recorded the tune anew, in a stereo version (with Ralph Carmichael and his Orchestra) of the Riddle arrangement, for the album '' The Nat King Cole Story'' (1961). Natalie Cole had been performing this duet using a recorded track in her live show through the 1980s, then in 1991, after Elvis Presley's musical director Joe Guercio had t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
