Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. He was widely noted for his soft, baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres, becoming a major force in popular music for three decades. Cole was one of the first African Americans to host a national television variety show, The Nat King Cole Show, and has maintained worldwide popularity since his...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJazz Singer
Date of Birth17 March 1919
CityMontgomery, AL
CountryUnited States of America
Critics don't buy records. They get 'em free.
I'm in the music business for one purpose - to make money.
The people who know nothing about music are the ones always talking about it.
I'm a musician at heart. I know I'm not really a singer. I couldn't compete with real singers. But I sing because the public buys it.
The sheriff is at the cash register, and if I don't get a hit soon, I don't know what I'll do.
For years the Trio did nothing but play for musicians and other hip people. We practically starved to death.
Music is emotional, and you may catch a musician in a very unemotional mood or you may not be in the same frame of mind as the musician. So a critic will often say a musician is slipping.
I was a guinea pig for some hoodlums who thought they could hurt me and frighten me and keep other Negro entertainers from the South.
I am famous because I am an African American jazz artist.
I can't bear to see myself even in movies. The feeling is complex. I can't stand the sight of myself.
I make no claim to being a business genius. You can make so much money in this business that it loses its value.
You've got to change with the public's taste.
I'm a businessman. I work for business people. The kind of thing they say is: Now we've sold a lot of records, let's sell some more.
If I could read it, I could play it.