Nat King Cole by Daniel Mark Epstein
(Farrar Straus & Giroux)

  Unfortunately for the baby boomer generation and beyond, Nat King Cole will mostly be remembered as the father of Natalie Cole. In 1991, almost 40 years to the date, Natalie re-recorded Nat's 1951 smash hit "Unforgettable" and through the use of computer animation, MTV reintroduced the world to see and hear her dad Nat King Cole. Fortunately for those who may want to know the whole story behind Nat Cole, Daniel Mark Epstein has delivered a beautifully researched book that reminds us what a musical giant this man was.

  Nathaniel Adams Coles was born March 17, 1919 in the south and like many African - Americans during that time, his parents moved north to Chicago to find work and to escape the harsh Jim Crow laws. Against his father religious beliefs Nat quickly found the local jazz scene to be too enticing to pass up. Emulating his hero Earl "Fatha" Hines, Nat quickly established himself as a local child prodigy. Playing venues like the Regal Theater and the Savoy Ballroom brought Nat to the attention of all of Chicago's black population. Mr. Epstein uses the documentation of the "Chicago Defender" to base much of Nat's early career heroics.

  After getting married for the first time in the late thirties Nat moves to the West Coast to avoid his fathers wrath. He quickly establishes himself as a musical force. With the original trio of Nat on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar and Wesley Prince on bass they establish themselves as a jazz trio to be reckoned with. Nat may have been musically rich during this period of his life he was financially poor. His hits had yet to come, his wealth years away. He was hurting so badly that many times visiting musicians such as Johnny Mercer, Lee Young, Basie and Ellington would take up collections to help Nat and his wife make ends meet. In late 1943 Nat would create the song that would start his long arduous journey to fame and riches. He pens the classic "Straighten Up and Fly".

  With a hit song in hand, Nat still needs to establish a major record distribution deal and find a business manager that recognizes his earning potential. In quick order Nat establishes a relationship with Carlos Gastel, who becomes Nat's life long friend and business partner and a deal with Capitol records is inked. Capitol records, partly founded by Johnny Mercer, was one of the first record labels to recognize the sales potential of "race records" to the entire population. This insight, which was extreme during a time when blatant segregation was an everyday fact of life, would make these early participants extremely rich men.

  "Straighten Up and Fly" sold a half million records in 1944 and was quickly followed by several jazz classics and his next big hit "Frim Fram Sauce". With his musical identity established beyond the close knit jazz circle, Nat earning potential explodes. He was earning anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000 per week, not bad for 1945.

  At this point in time Nat's career is one hit after another ("Nature Boy", "Mona Lisa" and "Unforgettable"). He quickly establishes himself as one of the few African -American artists that is accepted by the entire nation. Although musically accepted, Nat must still fight the racial tensions that are interwoven in the fabric of the American culture. A house purchased by Nat in the exclusive Hancock Park causes one of his neighbors to put a sign on their front lawn that reads "Nigger Heaven" and another takes matters into their own hands as they shot out one of this front windows.

  Even with his national status as a musical and pop music giant, Nat still faces tough hotel segregation policies. But unlike many of his musical companions that have little means to fight back, Nat has the financial means to sue these establishments. But Nat's biggest scrap with blatant segregation happens in 1956 while playing a show in Birmingham Alabama.

  A group of "concern citizens" who are collectively called the White Citizens Council, who cannot harbor the idea that a black man is influencing/entertaining white people, plan on kidnapping him from the stage. As this plot unfolds, the kidnapping fails but a brawl on stages leaves Nat with a swollen mouth and more determined than ever to change segregation policies at his shows.

  In 1956 Nat would try and cross one of entertainment's last social entertainment barriers, Television. After several guest appearances on other star variety shows, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Perry Como Show and Sid Caeser's "Your Show of Shows", Nat finally becomes the first African-American to host his own T.V show "The Nat King Cole Show". The show, which is critically acclaimed and extremely popular fails due to lack of financial sponsorship, prompting Cole to utter "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark."

  Nat King Cole (A Biography) is a well-researched book into not only the life of Mr. Cole but also the social impact that he made on society. His voice instantly recognizable, will always be remembered but Mr. Epstein reminds us of the importance Nat made not only in the jazz world but also the human world.

(Dave Moskal)