Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres. He was the first black American to host a television variety show and has maintained worldwide popularity over 40 years past his death; he is widely considered one of the most important musical personalities in United States history.
Childhood and Chicago
He was born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama on Saint Patrick's Day in 1919 Nat King Cole Society (some sources erroneously listing his birth date as 1917), and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois while he was still a child. There, his father became a Baptist minister. Nat learned to play the organ from his mother, Perlina, the church organist. His first performance, at age fou
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat King Cole