Remembering Nat King Cole, who died 53 years ago today.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, This Day in Rock:

http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/1968-crooner-nat-king-cole-dies-at-age-48/

1968 – Crooner Nat “King” Cole dies at age 48 in Santa Monica, Calif., due to complications from lung cancer surgery.

Well, no, it was 1965. Oh, they have two entries for that. Try this:

http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/1965-american-singer-and-pianist-nat-king-cole-died-of-lung-cancer/

1965 – American singer and pianist Nat King Cole died of lung cancer. First hit was the 1943 ‘Straighten Up and Fly Right’, had the 1955 US No.2 single ‘A Blossom Fell’ and 1957 UK No.2 single ‘When I Fall In Love’ plus over 20 other US & UK Top 40 singles. Father of singer Natalie Cole. In 1956 he became the first black American to host a television variety show.

Nat King Cole

Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He recorded over one hundred songs that became hits on the pop charts. His trio was the model for small jazz ensembles that followed. Cole also acted in films and on television and performed on Broadway. He was the first black man to host an American television series.

This is such a great song. The lyrics are by Johnny Mercer. But you could tell. It's a Capitol recording all the way, so it is especially well done. The songs recorded there were so wonderful.

I Remember You (1941 song)

"I Remember You" is a popular song, published in 1941. The music was written by Victor Schertzinger, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

Johnny Mercer

John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He was also a record label executive, who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessman Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallichs.

[Zoonart]

1. Unforgettable

[niyad]

2. thank you.

[sarge43]

3. In remembrance

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Thank you so much for that. That's just wonderful.

Stardust (song)

"Stardust" is a popular song composed in 1927 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics added in 1929 by Mitchell Parish. Carmichael first recorded the song, originally titled "Star Dust", at the Gennett Records studio in Richmond, Indiana. The song, "a song about a song about love", played in an idiosyncratic melody in medium tempo, became an American standard, and is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, with over 1,500 total recordings. In 2004, Carmichael's original 1927 recording of the song was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the song "Route 66" was written well before the TV show of the same name aired. The TV's show theme song was entirely different, so I should have suspected this.

Route 66 (song)

" (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" is a popular rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. The song uses a twelve-bar blues arrangement and the lyrics follow the path of U.S. Route 66 (US 66), which traversed the western two-thirds of the U.S. from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California.

Nat King Cole, as the King Cole Trio, first recorded the song the same year and it became a hit, appearing on Billboard magazine's R&B and pop charts.

Another version to reach the Billboard charts was that recorded by Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters on May 11, 1946 and this reached the No. 14 position in 1946. The song was subsequently recorded by many artists including Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, Them, Dr. Feelgood, Asleep at the Wheel, the Manhattan Transfer, Depeche Mode, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Pappo, The Cramps, John Mayer, and George Benson.

[sarge43]

5. You're welcome

Listening to him sing that melody melts my bones.

We forget that he was also one hell of a musician.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. "Mona Lisa"

Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole song)

"Mona Lisa" is a popular song written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the Paramount Pictures film Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950). The title and lyrics refer to the renaissance portrait Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1950.