BIOGRAPHY
Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950) is an American R&B, pop and jazz singer, and daughter of jazz singer Nat King Cole. She had a long and successful career beginning in the 1970s. She achieved commercial success in the 1980s and 1990s, with albums such as Everlasting (1987) and Unforgettable... with Love (1991), earning several Grammy Awards. Cole is also known for her covers of her father's songs, such as "The Christmas Song" and "Nature Boy".
Born in Los Angeles, California, on February 6, 1950, Cole was raised in a musical family. Her father, Nat King Cole, was a very popular figure in his time, while her mother was a jazz singer and pianist. Cole was exposed to her father's music from a young age and learned to play the piano and cello. She began performing in jazz clubs in Los Angeles at the age of 15.
Cole studied piano and cello at the Los Angeles Music Conservatory, and music and theater at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 1969, she joined the psychedelic rock band The Crusaders and recorded an album with them, The Crusaders 1. She later signed with the renowned record label Impulse! Records.
Her first album, Inseparable, was released in 1975. A mix of R&B and pop, it was a commercial success, reaching number two on the Billboard 200 and being nominated for a Grammy Award. In 1977, Cole released her second album, Nat King Cole & Me, a tribute to her father. Composed of covers of Nat King Cole's songs, it was also a commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 and being nominated for a Grammy Award.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Cole experienced commercial success with albums such as Everlasting (1987) and Unforgettable... with Love (1991). Everlasting reached number one on the Billboard 200, was certified triple platinum in the US and won two Grammy Awards, including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Meanwhile, Unforgettable... with Love, a tribute to her father, also reached number one on the Billboard 200, was certified diamond in the US and won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
Cole continued to record and tour in the 2000s and 2010s. Diagnosed with kidney disease in 2014, she underwent a kidney transplant in 2017. In 2019, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.