Research Catalog

Nat King Cole papers

Title
Nat King Cole papers, 1910-1996.
Author
Cole, Nat King, 1919-1965.

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134 Items

StatusContainerFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Box 1Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 1Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 2Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 2Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 3Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 3Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 4Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 4Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 5Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 5Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 6Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 6Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 7Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 7Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 8Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 8Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 9Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 9Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 10Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 10Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 11Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 11Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 12Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 12Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 13Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 13Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 14Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 14Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 15Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 15Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 16Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 16Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 17Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 17Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 18Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 18Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 19Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 19Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
Box 20Mixed materialUse in library Sc MG 695 Box 20Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives

Details

Additional Authors
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.
Description
41.5 lin. feet (134 boxes)
Summary
  • The collection consists of six series. Personal Papers includes biographical profiles, vital records, invitations, ephemera, and deeds and other correspondence for the purchase of a house in the then all-white Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The correspondence is sparse and consists mainly of letters which appear to have been originally included in scrapbooks. There are two thank you letters from Senator John F. Kennedy during the campaigns of 1958 and 1960, and cards and letters from well-wishers during his final illness (1964-1965). Awards and Tributes include honorary degrees, certificates of appreciation, and programs for posthumous tributes. There is also material related to Cole's adopted son Nat Kelly Cole in the series.
  • Professional Papers consist of thank-you letters for performances, congratulatory telegrams, and performance materials, such as programs, itineraries, menus, advertisements, and ephemera. Printed Materials consist largely of newspaper clippings and magazine articles documenting Cole's career and family life. The Scrapbooks series includes numerous albums documenting significant events in Cole's life and career from 1943 to 1965, his wedding to singer Maria Ellington in 1948, celebrations and testimonials, his travels throughout the world, and final illness and death. Scores is the largest series comprising arrangements of songs that Cole recorded and performed throughout his career; bound songbooks and published sheet music; and material from the musical revue "I'm With You," which he attempted to bring to Broadway in 1960 but which closed on the road following negative reviews. The Maria Cole series contains correspondence, biographical material, scrapbooks, scripts, and drafts for her 1971 book "Nat King Cole: An Intimate Biography," as well as scores. The series documents her first marriage to Tuskegee Airman Spurgeon N. Ellington, her 1948 wedding to Nat King Cole, her return to performing in 1955 and in 1965 following Cole's death, her philanthropic endeavors, and efforts to preserve Cole's legacy.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Musical scores.
  • Sheet Music.
Note
  • Photographs transferred to Photographs and Prints Division.
  • Artifacts transferred to Art and Artifact Division.
  • Audiotapes, videotapes and films transferred to Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division.
Source (note)
  • Maria Cole
Biography (note)
  • Nat King Cole was a popular singer and jazz musician whose 30-year career included recordings, concerts throughout the world, club appearances, television, and film. He was born in 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama and moved with his family to Chicago in 1923 so his father could pursue a career as a Baptist minister. He played the organ in his father's church and, in high school, became fascinated with jazz music. He made his first recording in 1936 as a pianist with his brother Eddie's sextet. After touring with a revival of "Shuffle Along," he settled in Los Angeles and formed the King Cole Trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince. Following his first hit, "Straighten Up and Fly Right" in 1943, King gradually reduced his piano playing to concentrate on singing. His 1946 recording of "The Christmas Song" began a string of hits which included "Nature Boy," "Mona Lisa," "Too Young," and "Unforgettable." At the height of his popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, he continued recording popular songs, toured throughout the United States and in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia, had his own television series in 1956, and appeared in films such as "China Gate," "St. Louis Blues," and "Cat Ballou." Nat King Cole died of cancer in 1965 at age 45.
Call Number
Sc MG 695
OCLC
881527030
Author
Cole, Nat King, 1919-1965.
Title
Nat King Cole papers, 1910-1996.
Biography
Nat King Cole was a popular singer and jazz musician whose 30-year career included recordings, concerts throughout the world, club appearances, television, and film. He was born in 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama and moved with his family to Chicago in 1923 so his father could pursue a career as a Baptist minister. He played the organ in his father's church and, in high school, became fascinated with jazz music. He made his first recording in 1936 as a pianist with his brother Eddie's sextet. After touring with a revival of "Shuffle Along," he settled in Los Angeles and formed the King Cole Trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince. Following his first hit, "Straighten Up and Fly Right" in 1943, King gradually reduced his piano playing to concentrate on singing. His 1946 recording of "The Christmas Song" began a string of hits which included "Nature Boy," "Mona Lisa," "Too Young," and "Unforgettable." At the height of his popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, he continued recording popular songs, toured throughout the United States and in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia, had his own television series in 1956, and appeared in films such as "China Gate," "St. Louis Blues," and "Cat Ballou." Nat King Cole died of cancer in 1965 at age 45.
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Finding Aid
Local Subject
Black author.
Added Author
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.
Research Call Number
Sc MG 695
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