Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery, Alabama and raised in Chicago. A child prodigy, Nat “King” Cole grew up to become an outstanding jazz pianist as well as a hugely popular singer. He was the first Black man to host his own network television program in the United States and on October 15, 1957 the guests on his show were members of Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic tour.

Cole began taking piano lessons from his mother when he was 4 and left school at 15 to lead his own bands. By 18 he was married and living in Los Angeles while fronting the King Cole Trio. The group was very popular and an influence on Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal, pianists who formed similar trios. Cole’s biographer has said that had Cole never sung a note he would be remembered as one of the five most influential pianists in jazz history.

The Jazz at the Philharmonic tours were the brainchild of producer Norman Granz. The first JATP performance took place at Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 2, 1944 and the last took place in 1983. In between swing and bop musicians presented countless performances around the globe and released numerous recordings on different labels. Many of the preeminent musicians of the era participated and JATP concerts were many times the first opportunity for audiences in some places to see and hear an integrated group musicians perform.

Here is a link to video from the 1957 JATP appearance on the Nat “King” Cole television program:

"JATP ON THE NAT "KING" COLE SHOW"