How one Chicago crooner shaped Christmas traditions
Cole’s time in Chicago would set the foundation for his success, including his cherished holiday tunes.
Decades before Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became a Christmas classic, Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” ruled the airwaves.
Born in Montgomery, Ala. in 1919, Nathaniel Adams Coles relocated to Chicago with his family at the age of 4. And it was his time in Chicago that would set the foundation for Cole’s success, including his cherished holiday tunes.
His father was a Baptist minister, and his mother played the organ at church. A prodigious talent in a musical family, Cole was just 4 years old when he performed music for the first time.
While he is best remembered as a pitch-perfect baritone with dulcet tones, the piano was Cole’s first love. He started formal lessons at 12 and developed a broad repertoire that included classical and jazz music.
Cole walked away from formal education at 15 to pursue a career as a full-time musician. He landed in Los Angeles at Capitol Records studios, where he recorded the vast majority of his music, and it was indeed a lot of music. So much so that Capitol Record on Vine was referred to as “the house that Nat built” for the sheer amount of wealth the record label generated from the sale of his records and merchandise.
One of his most notable works is the six-time platinum “The Christmas Song.” It was written by Chicago pianist Mel Torme and lyricist Bob Wells in 1945. The pair worked on the song during a particularly hot California summer. The imagery in those famous opening lines — “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack frost nipping at your nose…” — was an attempt by Wells to “stay cool by thinking cool.”
Cole recorded two versions of the song in 1946; one version with an orchestra and a version with his King Cole Trio. He recorded the song again in the ’50s. But it was four times lucky for the crooner as his fourth rendition of “The Christmas Song,” recorded in 1961, is the version that would be the most popular and remains in heavy rotation today.
In 1964, Cole was diagnosed with lung cancer. A lifelong smoker, Cole picked up the habit at 14 and smoked up to three packs of cigarettes a day as an adult. He died at 45.
In 1992 his daughter, singer Natalie Cole, recorded a version of his 1951 hit song “Unforgettable,” mixing in her father’s voice to create a groundbreaking virtual duet. The song won seven Grammy Awards.
Cole holds posthumous honors from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and was inducted in the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 2000.
To find out more about Chicago’s Cole, listen to WBEZ contributor and urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas’ conversation with producer Cianna Greaves.
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How one Chicago crooner shaped Christmas traditions
Cole’s time in Chicago would set the foundation for his success, including his cherished holiday tunes.
Decades before Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became a Christmas classic, Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” ruled the airwaves.
Born in Montgomery, Ala. in 1919, Nathaniel Adams Coles relocated to Chicago with his family at the age of 4. And it was his time in Chicago that would set the foundation for Cole’s success, including his cherished holiday tunes.
His father was a Baptist minister, and his mother played the organ at church. A prodigious talent in a musical family, Cole was just 4 years old when he performed music for the first time.
While he is best remembered as a pitch-perfect baritone with dulcet tones, the piano was Cole’s first love. He started formal lessons at 12 and developed a broad repertoire that included classical and jazz music.
Cole walked away from formal education at 15 to pursue a career as a full-time musician. He landed in Los Angeles at Capitol Records studios, where he recorded the vast majority of his music, and it was indeed a lot of music. So much so that Capitol Record on Vine was referred to as “the house that Nat built” for the sheer amount of wealth the record label generated from the sale of his records and merchandise.
One of his most notable works is the six-time platinum “The Christmas Song.” It was written by Chicago pianist Mel Torme and lyricist Bob Wells in 1945. The pair worked on the song during a particularly hot California summer. The imagery in those famous opening lines — “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack frost nipping at your nose…” — was an attempt by Wells to “stay cool by thinking cool.”
Cole recorded two versions of the song in 1946; one version with an orchestra and a version with his King Cole Trio. He recorded the song again in the ’50s. But it was four times lucky for the crooner as his fourth rendition of “The Christmas Song,” recorded in 1961, is the version that would be the most popular and remains in heavy rotation today.
In 1964, Cole was diagnosed with lung cancer. A lifelong smoker, Cole picked up the habit at 14 and smoked up to three packs of cigarettes a day as an adult. He died at 45.
In 1992 his daughter, singer Natalie Cole, recorded a version of his 1951 hit song “Unforgettable,” mixing in her father’s voice to create a groundbreaking virtual duet. The song won seven Grammy Awards.
Cole holds posthumous honors from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and was inducted in the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 2000.
To find out more about Chicago’s Cole, listen to WBEZ contributor and urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas’ conversation with producer Cianna Greaves.
Mary Dixon: When it was first recorded in 1946, Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" was an instant success. It remains one of the most beloved American holiday songs. Cole was raised in Chicago and was part of a generation of exceptional south siders who would go on to dominate in their fields. Urban historian Sherman "Dilla" Thomas joins WBEZ producer Cianna Greaves with more.
Cianna Greaves: So Nathaniel Adams Coal grew up in Chicago. How did those early years in Chicago shape him as an artist?
Sherman “Dilla” Thomas: Because of the restrictive racial covenants at the time, if you were black, you probably lived and what we referred to as Bronzeville. And so that's where he lived and he had access to the Bud Billiken Parade and the Bud Billiken Band, right? He went to Wendell Philips High School and DuSable high school and so both of those places was filled with a lot of musical talent. His teacher or his mentor is probably the biggest influence. There's a school on 51st Street that's named after Walter Dyett and that is the first musical director of both those schools. He certainly had a lot to do with the grooming of Nat King Cole. He ended up dropping out of school really early and went on to LA to become the Nat King Cole we know.
Cianna Greaves: He was so talented and that really was the foundation for his global appeal. In the 40s and 50s. He was popular with black and white audiences alike. What are some of his career milestones?
Sherman “Dilla” Thomas: He's certainly a barrier breaker, right? He's the first to perform, the first African American to perform on a lot of stages, right? Some of those stages, albeit segregated at that moment, right? Maybe they didn't allow for black audiences, but you know, big places like the Copa and everything out in LA, right? He had his own radio show, the Nat King Cole Trio Time, and he also was the first black dude to kind of have his own tv show, right? The first black pop star.
Cianna Greaves: But there was sort of a dark side to that universal appeal. Right? Tell us about some of those fraught moments.
Sherman “Dilla” Thomas: I always say when you're the first dude over the hill, you're going to catch some arrows. And so because of that, society wasn't ready for what he was bringing in a lot of instances, right? The KKK attacked his home in California when he would perform in the south. One time, particularly in Alabama, there was a plot to kidnap him. And then, you know sometimes you will be told that you're not black enough, right? Maybe wasn't as vocal as others would like as it relates to black issues. Kind of reminds me of that movie, The Butler and - where Dr. King admonishes the son of a Butler, he says its the quiet dignity of African Americans that often pushed the lines and spaces where you know, being rough and tumble and revolutionary would get you in the door, right? So you know, it'd be absolutely tragic to not consider him a black activist.
Cianna Greaves: So despite those obstacles, his ability to reach broad audiences persists. The best example of that being "The Christmas Song." How did he land that?
Sherman “Dilla” Thomas: Well, that's another excellent question Cianna. First off, the song was written in 1945 by a very dope Chicagoan, Mel Tormé. Nat King Cole certainly owns the song when he records it. And he first records in 1946, he records his different version in 1953. Uh, Nat King Cole finally lands on the version, the one we all know and love, right about 1960. The song would become an instant classic. The really tragic part about all of that though he didn't really live long enough to see how his legacy would stand the test of time. He was a smoker and as I understand it, since the age of about 14, and he died of lung cancer at 45.
Cianna Greaves: You know, I agree with you, "The Christmas Song" is definitely one of my favorites and growing up the music of Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong would fill my home and it's a tradition that I continue today. Why do you think that music endures?
Sherman “Dilla” Thomas: For one reason, all three of those people have some very strong Chicago connections and when it comes from Chicago, it's going to last a lifetime. But no, I just think it's the, the originality, I think originality even today is a moniker and a marker that will always stand the test of time, right? And no one at all sounds like Nat King Cole.
Cianna Greaves: Sherman "Dilla" Thomas is an urban historian and WBEZ contributor. Thanks so much for joining us today Sherman, and happy holidays.
Sherman “Dilla” Thomas: Hey thanks Cianna, happy holidays to you.
WBEZ transcripts are generated by an automatic speech recognition service. We do our best to edit for misspellings and typos, but mistakes do come through.