NAT KING COLE [ca. 1945-56] Photo archive

Nat King Cole. 1945-56. Photos. New York, Los Angeles: Various, [ca. 1945-1956]. Set of ten vintage original approximately 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm) black-and-white silver gelatin photos. Some feature original paper text and ink stamps on verso. Minor publishing use, near fine.

Legendary American singer, jazz pianist and actor Nat King Cole is known for a number of iconic singles including “Unforgettable”, “Mona Lisa”, “The Very Thought of You” and “For Sentimental Reasons”. Cole dropped out of school at 15, formed a sextet including his brother and made demo records for Decca. They were a hit and soon Bing Crosby became interested in the newly-formed King Cole Trio. Radio led to his prolific career in recording, live performance and television. During the civil rights movement he was criticized by leaders for not fighting racism, though Cole suffered racism assaults. Because of his early death many of his awards were posthumously received.

Included is an early portrait for the King Cole Trio and a photo with the Trio from General Artists Corp (ca. 1945); images from his radio show; images for film appearances in The Scarlet Hour and The Nat King Cole Musical Story; and images while recording in studio.