Sunday Reflection

"When I first organized the King Cole Trio back in 1937, we were strictly what you would call an instrumental group. To break the monotony, I would sing a few songs here and there between the playing. I sang things I had known over the years. I wasn't trying to give it any special treatment, just singing. I noticed thereafter people started requesting more singing, and it was just one of those things... I'm a musician at heart. I know I'm not really a singer. I couldn't compete with real singers. But I sing because the public buys it." -- the legendary singer Nat King Cole (3/17/1919 - 2/15/1965), from "Nat King Cole" by James Haskings, 1990. So, "not really a singer"? Nat King Cole was one of the great singers of the 20th century, his modesty notwithstanding. "The Christmas Song," "Unforgettable", "Mona Lisa", "Autumn Leaves", and so many more of his songs performed in his incredibly rich, smooth and effortless baritone voice will be played for many generations to come.

The victim of racial discrimination and even violence, Cole was assaulted by racists in Birmingham, Alabama, at a concert and harassed in his all-white Los Angeles neighborhood. Despite that, he was criticized for performing before all-white audiences in the South, and not being more active in the Civil Rights movement. That changed when he later became active in the NAACP and played a significant role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington. 

(photo: by Fred Baker, 1961, Gelatin silver print, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)

 

Weekend Music Twofer

 

Approaching the end of Black History Month, it's time to recognize (albeit insufficiently) two more groundbreakers -- Nat King Cole and Tommy Edwards.

Cole, of course, was an international star, beginning as a jazz pianist and vocalist, then transitioning into swing, rhythm & blues and popular music.  Some of his best known songs, recorded over three decades, are squarely in the American songbook:  "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons," "Nature Boy," "Mona Lisa," "Too Young," "Ramblin' Rose," and, of course, "The Christmas Song."  In 1946, his King Cole Trio were first to record Bobby Troup's classic "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66."

Rhythm & blues singer- songwriter Tommy Edwards first recorded "It's All In The Game" in 1951 then re-recorded it in 1958.  The 1958 version hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for 6 weeks, making Edwards the first Black solo artist to chart at #1 on that list.  A bit of trivia:  the song was written in 1911 by Charles G. Dawes, who was later Calvin Coolidge's Vice President and a co- recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925 for his work on WWI reparations.

Sadly, both Cole and Edwards died young, Cole at 45 and Edwards at 47.

Weekend Song

We're coming back again to this Christmas classic by Nat King Cole, "The Christmas Song."  Even though we're expecting record warm temperatures for the upcoming weekend in the Middle Atlantic states, we're told the forecast for Christmas is a more seasonal 40 degrees F.   So, enjoy the song and the fire.

Mid-Week Pre-Christmas Warm-Up Song

Was that enough hyphens for ya? In our continuing effort to get you in a holiday mood we offer up this classic by Nat King Cole.