I was born in Maryland and spent my first thirty years living there, first in the Appalachian Mountains, then on the Eastern Shore, and later in suburban Washington. After a year in South Carolina, I moved to Georgia in 1977. I soon met another park ranger who worked in Florida. She was a wonderful woman who became my best friend. then my wife, and soon the mother of our three children. I spent over eleven years working in the historic city of Savannah, Georgia, and on the moss-draped sea islands nearby before moving to Atlanta.. In 2007, I retired from the National Park Service and a career dedicated to preserving and interpreting resources and themes in the cultural and natural history of the United States. It was a most rewarding experience. Today, I enjoy living in the rolling hills and woods of the Appalachian Piedmont east of Atlanta.
The inimitable American jazz pianist and singer, Nat King Cole, was born on this day in 1919 in Birmingham, Alabama. He spent most of his childhood in Chicago where he became a successful club performer in his early teens. Like many promising performers, Cole relocated to Los Angeles and its booming film and recording industry. His newly formed King Cole Trio met with continued success in clubs throughout southern California. Savannah's favorite son, the singer-songwriter, Johnny Mercer, is credited with recognizing Cole's talent and potential in the entertainment in industry. In 1943 Mercer signed Cole to record for Capitol Records a recording company founded by Mercer, Buddy DeSylva, and Glenn Wallichs the previous year. Over a five month period beginning in July 1943 Mercer produced five Nat King Cole Trio recordings. They were superb examples of jazz and popular music fusion that appealed to a broad American market. The recording sold in the millions, placed Cole in the national spotlight, and ensured huge success for Capitol Records. The songs were: Tea For Two, Body and Soul, Straighten Up and Fly Right, Sweet Lorraine, and Embraceable You. All of them were embedded in American music history and remain popular today. Here is a sample of that history in sound from the trio before 1955:
Cole developed a close friendship with Mercer as well as a business relationship with Capitol Records that lasted for the rest of his life.What a pleasure it is to watch these two extraordinary artists enjoying themselves in a fun performance on Cole's NBC television show from the 1950s:
Cole's success brought wealth to Capitol Records, made him an international star, and enriched the world of music. His death at 45 left a world shocked and saddened but the recording have kept his talent very much alive almost sixty years after his passing.
Sources
Photos and Illustration: Cole at the piano, June 1947, William Gottleib Photo Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Text: Glenn T. Eskew, Johnny Mercer: Southern Songwriter for the World, Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment