Nat King Cole – His Musical Autobiography

He was born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama in the Deep South of the US on March 17th 1919 – the world knew him as Nat King Cole. He was unquestionably one of the greatest singers of the 20th century and it’s time to step back and take a long look at one of America’s first Black entertainers who broke down barriers and spread a message of love through the sheer beauty of his voice.

As a child he sang in church where his father was a preacher and from a very early age he picked out tunes on the piano encouraged by his mother who played the organ. He made his recording debut in his brother Eddie’s band in 1936 and his improvisational skills can be heard in his earliest recordings with the King Cole’s Swingsters in ’39 but his reputation was sealed as soon as he stepped up to the mike and unleashed that velvet baritone on an unsuspecting world.

In a society riven with racial prejudice he went on to become the first black TV star in America. Cole went on to work with some of the great songwriters and arrangers of the 40s and 50s including Billy May, Gordon Jenkins and Nelson Riddle, and his flawless warm phrasing ensured that he had more than 100 hit records and charted more than two dozen albums in his era-defining career. The majority of his records were released by Capitol Records and if impulse! Was the label that John Coltrane built then Cole did the same for the Los Angeles independent label that was newly formed when he signed to them in 1943.

Though his voice made him one of the most recognizable singers in history, alongside Sinatra, Crosby and Dean Martin, Cole was modest about his gift, saying – “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.”

Tragically, Cole died too soon of lung cancer in 1965 but left behind a catalogue of music that stands shoulder to shoulder with any other singer of that era and continues to delight new generations of listeners to this day. Nat King Cole was awarded a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1990 and was inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame in 2000.

Beautifully produced and expertly researched ‘Nat King Cole – His Musical Autobiography’ runs the gamut of Cole’s unique talent from his pure jazz piano stylings to his sublimely romantic ballads and is a joy for anyone whose interest in Cole stretches beyond the pop hits that made him famous.

Out now, ‘Nat King Cole – His Musical Autobiography’ is a glorious career retrospective containing 262 tracks from 1939 – 1965 spread over 10 CDs including all of his signature songs, every Billboard hit record, as well as a disc of rare and unreleased recordings and a disc featuring his legendary ‘Live At The Philharmonic’ appearances from 1944, a landmark in the history of jazz.

The set will also also feature two DVDs, the first featuring the unreleased 1963 Australian TV Special ‘The Mobil Limb Show’ and the second featuring the acclaimed 2014 documentary ‘Nat King Cole – Afraid Of The Dark’ as well as an 88 page book that features many unseen photographs from the Cole family archive.

We have an exclusive offer in the uDiscover store where the first 75 orders will get a free 10″ vinyl single.

Track list
CD1: 1939-1943 – I LIKE TO RIFF

1. There’s No Anesthetic For Love
2. Riffin’ At The Bar-B-Q
3. Harlem Swing
4. Dancing In The Street
5. I Like To Riff
6. By The River Sainte Marie
7. Sweet Lorraine
8. This Side Up
9. Honeysuckle Rose
10. Gone With The Draft
11. Early Morning Blues
12. Scotchin’ With Soda
13. Hit The Ramp
14. Stop! The Red Lights On
15. Call The Police
16. Are You Fer It
17. That Ain’t Right
18. Hit That Jive Jack
19. All For You
20. Vim, Vom Veedle
21. Pitchin’ Up a Boogie
22. Let’s Spring One
23. F.S.T. (Fine Sweet And Tasty)
24. Got A Penny
25. Let’s Pretend

CD2: 1943-1946 – STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT

1. Straighten Up And Fly Right
2. I Just Can’t See For Lookin’
3. Jumpin’ At Capitol
4. If You Can’t Smile And Say Yes
5. Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good To You
6. Sweet Lorraine
7. Embraceable You
8. It’s Only A Paper Moon
9. The Man I Love
10. Body & Soul
11. Prelude in C Sharp Minor
12. What Is This Thing Called Love
13. Easy Listening Blues
14. I Realize Now
15. Bring Another Drink
16. I’m A Shy Guy
17. You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You
18. Sweet Georgia Brown
19. It is Better to be By Yourself
20. The Frim Fram Sauce
21. Come To Baby Do!
22. Homeward Bound
23. This Way Out
24. But She’s My Buddy’s Chick
25. How Does it Feel

CD3: 1946-1949 – GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66

1. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
2. Everyone Is Sayin’ Hello Again (Why Must We Say Goodbye?)
3. I’m In The Mood For Love
4. I’ve Only Myself To Blame
5. To A Wild Rose
6. You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)
7. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
8. The Best Man
9. I Love You For Sentimental Reasons
10. In The Cool of the Evening
11. You’re the Cream In My Coffee
12. Come In Out of The Rain
13. Meet Me At No Special Place
14. Save The Bones For Henry Jones
15. Nature Boy
16. It’s The Sentimental Thing To Do
17. The Geek
18. Little Girl
19. Lost April
20. Put ‘Em In A Box, Tie ‘Em With A Ribbon
21. Lush Life
22. Land Of Love
23. Yes Sir That’s My Baby
24. Calypso Blues
25. My Baby Just Cares For Me

CD4: 1950-1951 – UNFORGETTABLE

1. For You My Love
2. I Almost Lost My Mind
3. Baby Won’t You Say You Love Me
4. Mona Lisa
5. The Greatest Inventor Of Them All
6. Home (When Shadows Fall)
7. The Tunnel Of Love
8. Orange Colored Sky
9. Jam-Bo
10. Frosty The Snowman
11. Jet
12. The Magic Tree
13. Always You
14. Destination Moon
15. Too Young
16. That’s My Girl
17. Red Sails In The Sunset
18. Because Of Rain
19. Song Of Delilah
20. Unforgettable
21. My First And My Last Love
22. Miss Me
23. Walkin’ My Baby Back Home
24. The Ruby & The Pearl

CD5: 1952-54 – SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY

1. Somewhere Along the Way
2. Funny (Not Much)
3. Penthouse Serenade
4. Laura
5. I’m Never Satisfied
6. Faith Can Move Mountains
7. Strange
8. Pretend
9. Can’t I
10. That’s All
11. I Am In Love
12. Return To Paradise
13. A Fool Was I
14. Tenderly
15. Let’s Fall In Love
16. Lover, Come Back To Me!
17. Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
18. Answer Me, My Love
19. It Happens To Be Me
20. Make Her Mine
21. Smile
22. Hajji Baba (Persian Lament)
23. My One Sin (In Life)
24. The Sand & The Sea
25. A Blossom Fell
26. If I May
27. Forgive My Heart

CD6: 1955-57 – STARDUST

1. I Want To Be Happy
2. Someone You Love
3. Take Me Back To Toyland
4. Dreams Can Tell A Lie
5. I’m Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life
6. Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You
7. Ask Me
8. Too Young To Go Steady
9. Never Let Me Go
10.That’s All There Is To That
11. My Dream Sonata
12. Night Lights
13. To The Ends Of The Earth
14. Sweet Lorraine
15. Ballerina
16. Blame It On My Youth
17. You Are My First Love
18. When Rock and Roll Comes To Trinidad
19. Love Letters
20. Stardust
21. Send For Me
22. When I Fall In Love
23. My Personal Possession
24. With You On My Minde
25. The Song Of Raintree County
26. The Party’s Over
27. Angel Smile

CD7: 1958-60 – YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU

1. St Louis Blues
2. Looking Back
3. Do I Like It
4. Come Closer To Me
5. Come To The Mardi Gras
6. This is All I Ask
7. The Very Thought Of You
8. Mood Indigo
9. Nothin’ In The World
10. Non Dimenticar (Don’t Forget)
11. Crazy She Calls Me
12. Give Me Your Love
13. Madrid
14. You Made Me Love You
15. I Must Be Dreaming
16. Sweet Bird Of Youth
17. In A Mellow Tone (instrumental)
18. Midnight Flyer
19. Time And The River
20. Whatcha Gonna Do
21. That’s You
22. Hundreds and Thousands of Girls
23. My Love
24. Wild is Love
25. If I Knew
26. Poinciana
27. When It’s Summer
28. Illusion

CD8: 1961-65 – RAMBLIN’ ROSE

1. Take A Fool’s Advice
2. When My Sugar Walks Down The Street
3. Let True Love Begin
4. Cappuccina
5. Step Right Up (And Say You Love Me)
6. Everything Happens To Me
7. The Right Thing To Say
8. September Song
9. Ramblin’ Rose
10. Your Cheatin’ Heart
11. Dear Lonely Hearts
12. I Could Have Danced All Night
13. All Over The World
14. Nothing Goes Up (Without Coming Down)
15. Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer
16. My True Carrie Love
17. That Sunday, That Summer
18. Mr Wishing Well
19. I Don’t Want To Be Hurt Anymore
20. People
21. More And More Of Your Amor
22. Kareha (Japanese version of Autumn Leaves)
23. I Don’t Want To See Tomorrow
24. L-O-V-E
25. Let Me Tell You Babe
26. The Ballad of Cat Ballou
27. The Girl From Ipanema
28. Three Little Words
29. No Other Heart

CD9: JAZZ AT THE PHILHARMONIC

1. Lester Leaps In
2. Tea For Two
3. Blues
4. Body And Soul
5. Sweet Lorraine
6. The Man I Love
7. I’ve Found A New Baby
8. Rosetta
9. Bugle Call Rag
10. One O’Clock Jump
11. Oh, Lady Be Good!

CD10: RARE & UNRELEASED

1 – 6. Just You, Just Me: Takes 1-6
7. Little Child
8. The Day Isn’t Long Enough
9. Sweet William (And The Lily Of The Valley)
10. The Sleeping Beauty
11. The Magic Window
12-20. Why Can’t We Try Again
21. You’re Wrong, All Wrong
22. Little Fingers
23-25. United: takes 1-3
26. Unfair: take 8
27. One Sun
28. Coo Coo Roo Coo Coo Paloma
29-41. Thank You Pretty Baby: takes 1-13

DVD 1: MOBIL LIMB SHOW TELEVISION SPECIAL

1. The Way You Look Tonight
2. When I Fall In Love
3. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Right Myself a Letter
4. Imagination
5. Mona Lisa
6. It’s Only a Paper Moon
7. Too Young
8. Where or When
9. To The Ends of the Earth
10. Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
11. To The Ends of the Earth
12. Non Dimenticar
13. To The Ends of the Earth
14. Acércate Más
15. To The Ends of the Earth
16. Dear Lonely Hearts
17. I Love A Piano
18. Walking My Baby Back Home
19. Ramblin’ Rose
20. A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

DVD 2 – NAT KING COLE – AFRAID OF THE DARK – 2014 Documentary

This award winning documentary is the final testimony on the tremulous life of a musical legend and also ‘a beacon of hope’ to blacks across 1950s America, as told by Director Jon Brewer.

Format: UK English