Nat King Cole

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Nat King Cole

• My black history project

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Introduction

• Nat King Cole was born on March 17th.He learned
  how to play the piano at age four. His mother was
  his only piano teacher. When he was four he
  could sing, Yes, We Have no Bananas. He played
  in his Fathers church from the age of 11. He
  accomplished pianist at age 12.

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Background

• Nat asked if he was poor and his mother said,
  Yes son then he asked are we poor poor poor and
  she said yes, then Nat said mom one day my name
  will be up in lights and we wont be poor anymore.
  Strangely he was correct!!

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Accomplishments

• In 1936 he moved to Los Angeles where he formed a
  group that later became the King Cole Trio. In
  1943, he recorded his first national hit record,
  "Straighten Up and Fly Right," which was based on
  one of his father's sermons and on a traditional
  black folktale.

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Obstacles

• Nat King Cole got divorced to his first wife
  Nadine Robinson In 1936.Then he got remarried to
  Maria. Maria and Nat were not on speaking terms
  just before the wedding ceremony, because Nat had
  been so carried away with a bachelor party the
  previous night that he had failed to turn up for
  a wedding rehearsal date.

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Tributes

• Now a famous vocalist and known as "The man with
  the velvet voice". He became the first black man
  to have a weekly show on network television
  (1956-57)

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Conclusion

• .

       Nat died in 1965. He died of lung cancer
because he smoked three packs of cigarettes every
day for many years. After that his music still
was very popular and lots more records were
sold. Recently, his daughter Natalie started
singing his music again and it became even more
popular.       
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Resources

• I got my information at Google.com or Nat King
  Cole.com

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Project by

• 5th grade student