Thursday, December 24, 2020

Family Christmas Connections Part 2


On this Christmas Eve, I thought I’d share my WikiTree connection to the beloved The Christmas Song crooner Nat King Cole. My parents loved that big band and smooth singing of Nat, Frank and Dean. Their songs became the background music of my childhood. Natalie Cole’s tribute to her daddy, Unforgettable always brings a smile to my heart and a tear to my eye.

Nathanial Adam Coles was born 17 Mar 1919 to Perlina Adams and Edward James Coles in Montgomery, Alabama. The Reverend Coles moved to a new church in Chicago, IL when Nat was 3. Nat and his brothers, Ike, Eddie and Freddy, got their music start thanks to their choir director mama. By age 14 Nat had formed his first band. He hit the charts with his next group the King Cole Trio, penning several of their hits. As his fame grew, he moved into a solo career and starred in his own TV show, The Nat King Cole Show. A chain smoker, he died of lung cancer. Posthumously he gained a new generation of fans when daughter Natalie with the help of modern technology recorded several duets with her father.


Missing my daddy, I can only imagine the heartache in the Cole family that February 1965 when first Grandpa Coles passed on the 2nd only to be followed by his famous son thirteen days later. The last of the Cole brothers, Freddy Cole, past away a few months ago at age 88.



No comments:

Post a Comment