Natalie Cole was born the second of five children on February 6, 1950 to the legendary singer Nat "King" Cole and his wife Maria Cole (who, before her marriage to Nat, was a singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra). Natalie (who's nickname is Sweetie) was raised in the elegant Hancock Park district of Los Angeles, California. Music was a big part of her childhood – different kinds of music that also included jazz and rock. Since her Dad was on the same label as the Beatles, he would bring home their latest albums and would also bring those of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Natalie made her singing debut at the age of six on her Dad’s Christmas album. He had given her a tape recorder which she used to tape herself singing a few of Ella’s tunes at age 11. After hearing Natalie’s voice on the tape and being amazed, Nat asked conductor Nelson Riddle to write her into a song in his nightclub act. She performed for a week because she was in school, but it was her first paying job. Nat "King" Cole died of lung cancer when Natalie was 15 years old.
After Nat "King" Cole’s death, Maria Cole and her children eventually moved to Massachusetts. Natalie was into listening to the rock-‘n’-roll music of singers such as Janis Joplin and the Jefferson Airplane. Natalie enrolled at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. When she started at the University, she originally wanted to be a physician. At some point, she hooked up with a band in Amherst as lead singer and they played jazz as well as rock. The one thing that bothered her was that club owners would sometimes bill her as Nat King Cole’s daughter. She received a B.A. degree in child psychology from the University of Massachusetts in 1972 and continued performing. She increasingly won more distinctive venues. She developed her own style, which included the gospel flavor and rhythm-and-blues styles.
Straight To The Top!
Chuck Jackson
and Marvin Yancy (two Chicago-based songwriters and record producers) caught her act at
Mister Kelly’s nightclub in Chicago. They liked the range of her talent and took her
into the studio to record a demo tape. They began writing original compositions that fit
her voice. They contacted the major record labels to obtain a recording contract for
Natalie. However, it was Capitol Records, the label Nat "King" Cole had recorded
for, who offered Natalie a contract. In 1975, Natalie Cole made her debut album, Inseparable.
She took the music industry by storm. Two hit singles resulted which were
"Inseparable" and "This Will Be." Natalie earned a gold record
and in 1976 won two Grammy awards. She won for Best New Artist and for Best R & B
Performance, Female for "This Will Be." The latter award was previously
won by the great, Aretha Franklin for nine years straight. One of the things that I
remember the most is how Natalie was compared so much to Aretha.
Her follow-up album, Natalie, in 1976 yielded the hit single "Sophisticated Lady" from which she won another Grammy award. Also, "Mr. Melody" was a top 10 single. Natalie and Marvin Yancy also got married in July of 1976. Capitol Records released Natalie’s third album, Unpredictable, which was a million seller and contained the hit single "I've Got Love On My Mind." Natalie gave birth to her son, Robert Adam Yancy, in October of 1977. From what I could gather, Thankful was released in November of 1977 which went platinum and yielded the hit single "Our Love." The Natalie Cole Special aired in 1978 and included the group Earth, Wind & Fire among others. In the summer of 1978, Natalie released Natalie…Live which is a two-record set. Ms. Cole (along with Chaka Khan) is also featured singing background vocals on Stephen Bishop’s Bish album of 1978 (ABC Records) on the song "A Fool At Heart." I Love You So was released in 1979 which contained the hit singles "Stand By" and "Sorry." Natalie also received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1979! "Go Natalie!"
Down But Not Out!
Natalie collaborated with Peabo Bryson on We’re The
Best Of Friends in 1979 and the album went gold. Don't Look Back, of
1980, yielded the single "Someone That I Used To Love." which was featured on a
special edition of the Merv Griffin Show. It also included "Stairway To The
Stars." Natalie was also featured in a Posner hair products commercial in the late
70's or early 80's. In the commercial, she'd say something like "Posner, it takes the
problem out of problem hair..." She would sing "Posner, positively
beautiful." It was a great commercial with a catchy tune. Eventually, Natalie’s
drug and alcohol use became heavy and took a toll on her career. Her album, Happy Love
was recorded without Marvin Yancy. Although they reunited for the I'm Ready album,
they eventually divorced but shared responsibility of care for their son, Robbie. In 1982,
Natalie entered a drug rehabilitation clinic and stayed for 30 days. However, her stay
wasn't successful. She was Johnny Mathis' special guest for
"Unforgettable: A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole" which was recorded
live in May of 1983 and released in September of the same year. Her mother was named
conservator of her estate to help Natalie with her personal matters. Later in 1983,
Natalie entered a drug-treatment center in Minnesota, worked hard, won her battle and was
able to leave the hospital on May 16, 1984. The I’m Ready album sold
only about 40,000 copies. "Too Much Mister" was the sole single, but it didn't
do enough to revive her career. In 1985, Natalie suffered another setback when Marvin
Yancy passed away of a heart attack. As much as Natalie had to endure, it seemed to make
her that much more stronger.
In 1985, Dangerous, was released which sold just under
150,000 copies. However, Natalie was back on top with Everlasting in 1987. The
three hit singles were "Jump Start," "I Live For Your Love," and
"Pink Cadillac." She also sang "Over You" in 1987 with Ray Parker, Jr.
Natalie is also featured on Deniece Williams’ Special Love album in 1989 as
they collaborated on the gospel tune "We Sing Praises." Still yet, another
successful album of Natalie’s was the release of Good To Be Back in 1989. It
contained the top ten hit "Miss You Like Crazy" as well as "Someone’s
Rocking My Dreamboat." Natalie married musician/producer Andre Fischer in 1989, but
she was said to be going through a divorce from him some time in 1996. Natalie’s
largest selling album to date is the release of Unforgettable…..With Love in
1991 (Elektra Records) which is a special tribute to her father that contains twenty-two
of his classics. The album won seven Grammy awards; Natalie is incredible! Through
technology, she sings with her father, Nat King Cole, on the album in a duet of
"Unforgettable." They are both unforgettable singers. Natalie’s follow-up
album Take A Look (1993), although not as successful, also contains
wonderful songs. She picked up another Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for
the title song.
Natalie's
Christmas album Holly and Ivy (released in 1994) is so good that I find myself
playing it even in the summer (smile). Natalie Cole's Untraditional Traditional
Christmas special concert can be viewed on video. She sings the songs from Holly
& Ivy on the special with such ease; it really is a great performance! One will
really enjoy her delivery of every song, particularly Natalie's version of "Joy To
The World." Natalie also had to endure the death of her brother. Stardust
which was released in 1996, also contains a duet with her father entitled "When I
Fall In Love" from which she also won a Grammy award. She also released a Christmas
CD entitled Celebration Of Christmas (with Jose' Carreras and Placido Domingo) and
sings the title track of "A Smile Like Yours" (1997) from the motion
picture of the same name. Natalie released Snowfall
On The Sahara in June of 1999! The album is a mixture of Jazz, Pop and
R&B...actually, the album contains all of the different styles of music that Ms. Cole
has performed over her twenty-five years in the music industry thus far! (Click here for
the lyrics to the hit song "Snowfall On The Sahara.") She also recorded a new
Christmas CD with the London Symphony Orchestra entitled The Magic Of Christmas; it
was released in stores on October 19, 1999.
This Is My Story; And Still I Rise!
Natalie's
Greatest Hits Volume I was released on November 14th, 2000. She hand picked the
songs herself. It contains songs such as "This Will Be," "Lucy In The Sky
With Diamonds," and also contains two new unreleased songs entitled "Livin' For
Love," and "Angel On My Shoulder." The latter song is the title of her
autobiography which was released on November 7, 2000. The autobiography was co-authored by
Digby Diehl, as well as Natalie Cole. It debuted at #1 on Los Angeles Times Bookseller
list! Please don't hesitate to purchase your copy of Natalie's tell-all, sometimes
humorous, but very inspiring "Angel On My Shoulder!" Natalie
received an NAACP Image Award in March of 2001 for her role in her movie Living For
Love: The Natalie Cole Story. Then there's Ask A Woman Who Knows,
Natalie's September 17, 2002 release, which is a great album. The album, Ask A
Woman Who Knows is full of jazzy tunes. It actually marks Natalie's switch from
Elektra Records to Verve Records. It also marks her move to Jazz. It contained the hit
"Tell Me All About It," as well as "Ask A Woman Who Knows, "Better
Than Anything" (a duet with Diana Krall), and "Calling You."
The album is so dynamic that it debuted at the #1 spot on the Jazz chart and also appeared
on the Billboard charts. The album received 4 Grammy Nominations! Natalie has won numerous awards thus far in her career.
She also sang the National Anthem (acappella) at game 4 of the World Series. Natalie
married Bishop Kenneth Dupree on October 12, 2001; they divorced in 2004. During a
concert in 2005, Natalie surprised me by going back to her musical roots. She
included R & B in her song list. During the concert, she sang "I'm Catching
Hell," and "I've Got Love On My Mind" and I just wanted to run out of the
building and scream with excitement! Needless to say, Natalie tore the house down!
You can't put Natalie in a box and expect her to sing only a certain style because
her music is always changing. It's a wonderful thing to hear so much great music
from the different styles that she covers. Natalie's vocals can be heard on numerous
soundtracks including Scrooged, Parent Trap, and the aforementioned A
Smile Like Yours to name a few. Natalie's filmography also includes I'll
Fly Away, Lily In Winter, Touched By An Angel, and Freak City among
other films.
The Return to Rhythm & Blues!
In 2006, Natalie appeared in Law and Order: Special Victims
Unit. She also appeared in Grey's Anatomy.
Natalie collaborated closely with R&B producer Dallas Austin on her new album, Leavin,' which is sure to be a winner. It is an outstanding album of interpretive songs. She covers a wide range of contemporary artists such as Fiona Apple ("Criminal"), Shelby Lynn ("Leavin'"), and the Isley Brothers "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love)." Leavin' covers country, blues, soul and even Euro-pop and was released on September 26th. Cole's new hit single "Day Dreaming" was released in July, 2006 and is an up-tempoed version of Aretha Franklin's 1972 classic. "Day Dreaming" peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard R&B Chart.
Natalie's return to R&B has been wonderful and her tour has been great! One of the highlights of the tour was her awesome performance at the world famous Apollo Theater in New York on November 10, 2006! Ms. Cole's crystal-clear vocals are so soulful and melodious! As the New Year rolls in, it will be wonderful to see the new pages that will be written in this great Lady of Song's life!
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