J2304

American Music

Nat “King” Cole

Collins Cover Announcement

POPULAR SINGERS

Nat "King" Cole

A competent pianist and church organist by the time he was twelve. Nat King Cole from boyhood was destined to be one of the greatest popular singers this country has ever known. His success is often attributed to his throaty voice, meticulous phrasing, and relaxed style. In June of 1955 he became the only recording star to have six record singles on the bestseller charts at the same time. Many of his songs including "Mona Lisa" and "Too Young" exceeded the million mark in sales.

In 1937 Cole first took jobs as a piano soloist at small nightclubs in Hollywood. He first sang solo when a customer insisted he sing a tune called "Sweet Lorraine". Hiring a guitarist and bass violinist, he formed a trio and when asked one night by management to wear a gold crown, the name "King" was coined for his group - The King Trio.

Capitol Records was the next step and from his first recording in 1943 he eventually did over a thousand songs for them including "It's Only a Paper Moon", "Walking My Baby Back Home" and "Smile".

In 1946 the King Trio was featured on the Kraft Radio Show and in that year appeared in four motion picture musicals. Their concert tour included Carnegie Hall. In 1955 he did ten shows for CBS-TV and starred in the Nat "King" Cole Story produced by Universal Pictures. In 1956 he signed a contract with the Sands Hotel in Vegas for $500,000 and at that time was the largest amount ever for a show business contract.

Nat "King" Cole was one of the most successful, durable, and well-loved popular singers in our history. I have used the vertical format for my cachets to create larger and more detailed hand-painted portraits. The stamp is canceled at New York, New York. Flanking the colorful stamp is a keyboard which is a symbol of this man's great musical talent which took a 12-year old accomplished pianist to the heights of the American entertainment industry. Nat "King" Cole. Item #J2304. $10.75.