Name : Natalie Cole
Birth Name : Natalie Maria Cole
Profession : Singer, songwriter
Date of Birth : February 6, 1950
Place of Birth : Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genre(s) : Pop, R&B, jazz, soul, quiet storm, adult contemporary
Label(s) : Capitol (1974-1981)
Epic (1982-1983)
Modern (1984-1985)
EMI-Manhattan (1986-1990)
Elektra (1991-2001)
Verve (2002-Present).
Natalie Cole - Detailed Biography
The daughter of
jazz and pop legend Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole has forged a successful career
in two phases, doing R&B/urban contemporary and then jazz-based pop. She made
her stage debut at age 11 and sang in college. Cole met the writing and
producing team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey in 1973. The next year they
collaborated on some sessions that were recorded at Curtis Mayfield's Curtom
studios in Chicago. These helped her land a deal with Capitol, and she teamed
with Jackson/Yancey for a string of hit albums and singles from 1975 until 1983.
Such LPs as Inseparable, Natalie, Thankful, Unpredictable, and I Love You So
yielded five number one R&B hits between 1975 and 1977. These included "This
Will Be, "Inseparable," "Our Love," and "I've Got Love on My Mind." She stayed
with Capitol until 1983, then switched to Epic for her final album with the
Jackson/Yancey tandem. Cole made duets with Peabo Bryson in 1979 and 1980 and
Ray Parker, Jr., in 1987. She scored more hits with "Jump Start," "I Live for
Your Love," and "Over You" in 1987, and "Pink Cadillac," a cover of a Bruce
Springsteen tune, in 1988, and then made her stylistic shift. Cole eased into
the transition with "When I Fall in Love," a number her father recorded in 1957.
It was included on her 1987 LP Everlasting. She fully embraced the move with the
1991 LP Unforgettable: With Love, earning Grammy Awards and landing a number one
pop album that eventually sold over five million copies. The title track
featured her doing a duet with her father via electronic elaboration. She
continued the jazzy trend with Take a Look in 1993, and she toured and did
television specials working with a large orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle.
Holly & Ivy (1994) and Stardust (1996) both continued Cole's exploration of
American pop standards. Snowfall on the Sahara was released in 1999, as was The
Magic of Christmas, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. Ask a Woman Who
Knows (2002) and Leavin' (2006) followed for Verve.
