Nat King Cole

1919 – 1965

Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor whose smooth baritone made him one of the first African American performers to achieve mainstream pop stardom in the segregated United States. Beginning as the leader of the influential King Cole Trio in the late 1930s, he scored more than 100 charting singles including "Mona Lisa," "Unforgettable," and "The Christmas Song," and in 1956 became the first Black host of a national U.S. television variety program. He was attacked on stage by white supremacists in Birmingham in 1956, an incident that became a flashpoint in the early civil rights era.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM