Nat King Cole

Nat King Cole was an American singer and jazz pianist whose smooth baritone voice made him one of the most popular performers of the mid-twentieth century.

He recorded standards like "Unforgettable," "Mona Lisa," and "The Christmas Song." In 1956, he became the first Black American to host a national television variety show.

crooner

velvet

Thick-pile textile

smooth · phrasing · diction · romantic · standards · nightclub · intimate · supper club · lounge · charisma

songs

Mona Lisa

Renaissance portrait, famously inscrutable

Route 66

jazz

swing

Suspended recreational seat

scat · stride · cool jazz · standards · jam session · syncopation · riff · ensemble · gig · upbeat

legacy

pioneer

Early explorer or settler

timeless · classic · groundbreaking · first · crossover · television host · Capitol Records · Hollywood Walk of Fame · immortalized · enduring

pianist

keyboard

Array of input keys

arpeggio · chords · voicings · fingering · touch · trio · comping · stride · boogie-woogie · self-accompanied

Categories
Opposites
musical genre and aesthetic

Nat King ColeJohnny Rotten

Sid Vicious · Iggy Pop · Jerry Lee Lewis · Little Richard · Jimi Hendrix

racial politics and persona

Nat King ColeNina Simone

Paul Robeson · Malcolm X · Harry Belafonte · Gil Scott-Heron · Dick Gregory

Family

kingdom, King, kingpin, kingly, Kings, Nathan, kingship, kingfisher, kingmaker

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Mostly American · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G