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Natalie Cole extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole performing in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Natalie Maria Cole
Born	February 6, 1950 (1950-02-06) (age 59) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre(s)	R&B, soul, jazz, quiet storm, adult contemporary
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, pianist, actress
Instrument(s)	piano
Years active	1975–present
Label(s)	Capitol (1975–1981) Epic (1982–1984) Modern (1984–1986) Capitol-EMI-Manhattan (1986–1990) Elektra (1991–2001) Verve (2001–2007) DMI / Rhino (2008–2010)
Associated acts	Nat King Cole
Website	www.nataliecole.com

Natalie Maria Cole (born Stephanie Natalie Maria Cole; February 6, 1950) is an influential American singer-songwriter and performer who has won nine Grammy Awards. She achieved success in her early career as an R&B star, but smoothly changed her repertoire toward a more pop and jazz oriented musical style in the early 1990s.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Music career 2.1 Early career 2.2 Career detour and resurgence 2.3 Unforgettable...with Love 2.4 Additional albums 3 Television and film 4 Filmography 5 Personal life 5.1 Drug abuse and recovery 5.2 Health problems 6 Selective awards and recognitions 6.1 Grammy history 6.2 Other Awards 7 Discography 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

Early life

Natalie Maria Cole was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of noted crooner Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer Maria Hawkins Ellington Cole. While Maria had sung with Ellington's band, Ellington is no relation to Duke Ellington; through her mother, Cole is related to educator Charlotte Hawkins Brown.¹ Cole was raised in the affluent Hancock Park district of Los Angeles, just a few doors down from the California governor.² She has referred to her family as "the black Kennedys." She was exposed to the greats of jazz, soul and blues at an early age. Cole sang on her father's Christmas album at the age of six, and she began performing at the age of 11.

Cole grew up with older adopted sister Carole "Cookie" (1944-2009) (her mother Maria's younger sister's daughter); adopted brother Nat "Kelly" Cole (1959-1995), and younger twin sisters Timolin and Casey (born 1961).³⁴

Her paternal uncle Freddy Cole is an accomplished singer/pianist with numerous CDs and awards to his credit. Cole was 15 years old when her father died of lung cancer in February 1965. Soon afterwards she began having a difficult relationship with her mother. Her mother then moved the family to Massachusetts, where Cole attended the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts. She enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She briefly transferred back to University of Southern California and there she pledged the Epsilion Theta chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.. She transferred back to the University of Massachusetts, where she majored in Child Psychology and minored in German. Cole graduated in 1972. Cole stated in an interview that she did not connect with her cultural heritage or "blackness" until she attended college.

Music career

Early career

By the time she graduated from college, Cole had already begun her singing career. On the weekends, Cole was singing at a place on North Pleasant Street in Amherst called "The Pub". She also worked as a cashier at Louis' Foods, a grocery store in Amherst. During her college years, Cole fell victim to the ravages of drugs (mainly heroin). While she was traveling back from a performance in Canada she was arrested for heroin possession. She was sentenced to probation but she had to stay in Canada to serve this probation. It was also during this time period that she met Chuck Jackson (Jesse Jackson's half-brother) and Marvin Yancy at a nighclub called Mr. Kelley's. This partnership produced hits such as: "This Will Be", "Inseparable", "Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)", "Mr. Melody", "I've Got Love on My Mind" and "Our Love", to name a few. Chuck and Marvin had worked together to produce music for The Independents and Aretha Franklin.

Her debut album in 1975, Inseparable, resulted in chart success with the single "This Will Be" (#1 R&B, #6 Pop). Her performance of the song won her a 1976 Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. This was a feat because Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin had heretofore won this category 8 years in a row from 1968 - 1975. She was also awarded the Best New Artist Grammy of 1976. She gained a new generation of fans when American Idol finalists Jasmine Trias and Kimberley Locke sang "Inseparable" on the show to extremely good reviews.

More hits followed, including "Someone That I Used to Love" (1980). Her biggest pop hits, 1977's "I've Got Love on My Mind" and "Our Love" both earned Gold single certifications.

Career detour and resurgence

Cole's career paused in the early 1980s as she dealt with her severe drug problem. By 1985, Cole was back in good health, and began a comeback.

Her first step was with the album Dangerous, released on the Modern label. In 1987, she released Everlasting (on EMI Manhattan) which sold over 2 million copies in the U.S., and won Cole a Soul Train Award for Female Single of the Year for the #1 R&B ballad "I Live for Your Love". The album garnered her three major hit singles: "Jump Start," "I Live For Your Love" (#2 AC and #13 Pop as well as #1 R&B, as well as #21 UK [on re-release]), and a remake of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac" (#5 Pop, #16 AC, and #1 Dance, #5 UK). The album also included a remake of one of her father's signature hits, "When I Fall In Love," which did moderately well on the AC chart.

In 1989, another album, Good To Be Back, gave her another chart success: "Miss You Like Crazy" (#1 both R&B and AC, and #7 Pop, plus #2 UK).

Unforgettable...with Love

Cole may be best remembered for her 1991 album, Unforgettable... with Love, featuring her own arrangements of her father's greatest hits. Though when she was younger, Cole was reluctant to capitalize on her father's name and wanted to forge her own identity by going after the soul market in earnest, on this album she admitted to being Nat King Cole's daughter and pledged her complete devotion to her father and his music. She said that she "felt" his presence while recording. She sang 22 songs from Nat King Cole's collection. Singles included "The Very Thought of You", "Mona Lisa" and "Route 66" The most fascinating song on the album was "Unforgettable." With a little help from technology, Cole performed the song as a duet with her father using her father's original recording.

Her decision to record the songs was a chart success; the album sold over 7 million copies in the United States alone, and won Cole several Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance. The album featured a duet, the title track, with her father, created by splicing a recording of his vocals into the track. As a single, it reached #14 on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart amd #10 on the R&B chart, and went gold.

Additional albums

Cole has released several more s in the years since, appearing in the pop singles charts occasionally (such as with "A Smile Like Yours" in 1997). Her albums sell well and she is considered one of the core artists of the smooth jazz format, garnering frequent airplay on smooth jazz radio stations with both her classic songs and her newer material.

In 1995, she performed in The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True a musical performance of the popular story at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The performance was originally broadcast on Turner Network Television (TNT), and issued on CD and video in 1996.

Her 1999 album Snowfall on the Sahara marked a return to the easy adult-contemporary soul that categorized her late-1980s hits. Then for 2002's critically-praised Ask a Woman Who Knows, she turned again toward the jazz side of the spectrum, covering songs made famous by Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, and Sarah Vaughan.

In September 2006, she released Leavin', a cover album of tracks made popular by Shelby Lynne, Kate Bush, Sting, and Fiona Apple, and others. The album is a hybrid of rock, pop music, and R&B.

Cole's latest album Still Unforgettable was released September 9, 2008. The first single and video is another virtual duet with her father, a cover of his 1951 hit "Walkin' My Baby Back Home". Still Unforgettable won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Television and film

Cole has carved out a secondary career in acting. She has also appeared several times in live concerts or other music related programs, including the 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute with sidemen Richard Campbell, Jeffrey Worrell, Eddie Cole and Dave Joyce. In 1990, she (along with jazz vocalist Al Jarreau) sang the song "Mr. President" on HBO's Comic Relief special, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. After Johnny Mathis appeared on a special of Cole's in 1980, the two kept in contact, and in 1992, he invited Cole to be a part of his television special titled "A Tribute To Nat Cole" for BBC-TV in England. It had high viewer ratings and was successful. From that project, an album with the same name was released, and featured several medley and solo numbers.

Cole has made a number of dramatic appearances on television, including guest appearances on I'll Fly Away, Touched by an Angel, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2006, she made a memorable guest appearance on the popular ABC show Grey's Anatomy as a terminally ill patient. Her character visited Seattle Grace Hospital to have a fork removed from her neck that her husband had stabbed her with during a mishap; the couple had been having sex in public.⁵

Cole has also made several appearances in feature films, most recently in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely. She has appeared in several made-for-TV movies, most notably as the lead in Lily in Winter. Cole was featured on Macy Gray's album Big, singing "Finally Make Me Happy".

She also sang the national anthem with the Atlanta University Center Chorus at Super Bowl XXVIII.

On December 2, 2006, Cole performed for the first time in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, as part of the annual Cayman Jazz Fest.⁶

On the February 5, 2007, episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Cole sang "I Say a Little Prayer" at a benefit dinner for Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson).

She can also be seen in the last scene of Nas' music video for "Can't Forget About You". The song uses a sample of her father's song "Unforgettable". Cole is sitting at a piano in a cabaret-style lounge mouthing her father's song with Nas standing beside her.

Natalie Cole also performed "Somethings Gotta Give" on American Idol on April 29, 2009.

Filmography

NOTE: this filmography is not yet completed

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	"Comic Relief" (HBO Special)	(performed)
1992	A Tribute To Nat King Cole (BBC Special)	(performed)
2004	De-Lovely	Musical performer
2006	Grey's Anatomy	Terminally ill patient

Personal life

Cole has been married three times. She married Marvin Yancy on July 31, 1976, by whom she has a son Robert Adam Yancy (born October 1977); he is now a musician who tours with her. Marvin was her producer, and an ordained Baptist minister who helped her reintroduce her to religion. Under his influence, Cole changed from a lapsed Episcopalian to become a devout Baptist.⁷ Cole and Yancy divorced in 1980; Yancy died of a heart attack in 1985, aged 34.⁸ In 1989, Cole married record producer Andre Fischer; they divorced in 1995. In 2001, Cole married bishop Kenneth Dupree; they divorced in 2004.⁹

Drug abuse and recovery

In 2000, Cole released an autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder, which described her battle with drugs during much of her life.

• In the book, Cole admitted to using heroin and crack cocaine.
• Cole said she began recreational drug use while attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
• She also disclosed that she was arrested in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for possession of heroin in 1975.
• Cole continued to spiral out of control - including one incident where she refused to evacuate a burning building, and another where her young son Robert nearly drowned in the family swimming pool while she was on a drug binge.¹⁰ She did eventually enter rehab in 1983.¹¹

In concert with the release of the book, her autobiography was turned into a made-for-TV movie, The Natalie Cole Story, which aired December 10, 2000 on NBC.

Health problems

On July 16, 2008, Cole announced that she was diagnosed with hepatitis C likely caused by her drug use: "I've been so fortunate to have learned so much from my past experiences. I am embraced by the love and support of my family and friends; I am committed to my belief in myself and in my abiding faith to meet this challenge with a heartfelt optimism and determination. This is how I intend to deal with this current challenge in my life." Dr. Graham Woolf, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA/Cedars Sinai Medical Center, said that Cole "had a terrific response to her medication and is now virus negative. This gives her an increased chance of cure. But, she has also suffered significant side effects from the anti-viral medicine, which is the only FDA authorized treatment for hepatitis C. Her side effects include fatigue, muscle aches and dehydration but she is recovering from these. On September 19, 2008 she was rushed to the hospital due to her Hepatitis C medications.¹²¹³

Cole has also had struggles with kidney disease. Before receiving a kidney transplant on May 20, 2009, Cole had been receiving kidney dialysis three times a week while awaiting a kidney transplant.¹⁴ During her March 31, 2009 appearance on Larry King Live "dozens of emails flooded the CNN studio" with offers for replacement kidneys.¹⁵

As of June 2009, Cole has received a kidney transplant. The news of the organ came on the same day her sister Carole died from cancer. Natalie attended the memorial services and continues to heal and grew stronger with her new kidney.

She expects to tour late 2009.

Selective awards and recognitions

Grammy history

Natalie Cole Grammy Award History16
Year	Category	Title	Genre	Result	Notes
2009	Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:	Still Unforgettable	Trad Pop	Winner
1996	Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals	"When I Fall In Love"	Pop	Winner	Natalie Cole (& Nat "King" Cole)
	Best Traditional Pop Performance	"Stardust"	Trad Pop	Nominee
1993	Best Jazz Vocal Performance	Take a Look	Jazz	Winner
1991	Record of the Year	"Unforgettable"	General	Winner	Natalie Cole (& Nat "King" Cole)
	Album of the Year	Unforgettable... with Love	General	Winner
	Best Traditional Pop Performance	Unforgettable... with Love	Trad Pop	Winner
	Best Jazz Vocal Performance	"Long 'Bout Midnight"	Jazz	Nominee
1989	Best R&B Vocal Performance, Duo or Group	"We Sing Praises"	R&B	Nominee	Natalie Cole & Deniece Williams
	Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female	Good to Be Back	R&B	Nominee
1987	Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female	Everlasting	R&B	Nominee
1979	Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female	I Love You So	R&B	Nominee
1978	Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female	"Our Love"	R&B	Nominee
1977	Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female	"I've Got Love on My Mind"	R&B	Nominee
1976	Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female	"Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)"	R&B	Winner
	Best Pop Vocal Perfomrance, Female	Natalie	Pop	Nominee
1975	Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female	"This Will Be"	R&B	Winner
	Best New Artist of the Year		General	Winner

Other Awards

Natalie Cole Awards17
Year	Category	Title	Result	Notes
2002 and 2009	Best Jazz Artist	NAACP Image Awards	Winner
2000	Best Actress - Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special	NAACP Image Awards	Winner	Livin for Love: The Natalie Cole Story18
1999	Hitmaker Award	Songwriters Hall of Fame	*Winner*
1993	Lifetime Musical Achievement	The George and Ira Gershwin Award	Winner
1991	Favorite Artist - Adult Contemporary	American Music Awards	Winner
1978	Favorite Female Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues	American Music Awards	Winner
1977	Favorite Female Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues	American Music Awards	Winner

Discography

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Natalie Cole

• Official website
• Natalie Cole at Allmusic
• Natalie Cole at the Internet Movie Database
• Natalie Cole biography and updates at Soul Tracks