Nat King Cole: The Man Who Recorded Over 1000 Tunes
It’s hard to fathom how someone could maintain such an immense work ethic and produce over 1000 tunes, as Nat King Cole did, when you consider the expectations of today’s music industry. Back in his day, if you were a prominent artist, the label would simply expect you to churn out more and more material, often without the freedom that modern musicians have.
For artists like Cole, who didn’t write their own songs, the process was often more about recording covers. Many artists of that era were essentially cover artists, and their success was driven by their vocal interpretations of popular songs. On top of this, recording was much simpler than today’s multi-layered studio productions. Songs were often recorded in a single take, much like a live performance, with no overdubs or multi-tracking. It was an entirely different approach to creating music.
Here are just a few of his iconic tunes:
- L-O-V-E
- Frosty The Snowman
- (Get Your Kicks) on Route 66
- Mona Lisa
- Smile
- Autumn Leaves
- Let’s Face The Music And Dance
- When I Fall In Love
- It’s Only A Paper Moon
- Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good To You
His second most recognised song, Unforgettable, was recorded twice: once in 1951 and again in 1991 with his daughter, Natalie Cole.
Perhaps the most well-known of all his songs is The Christmas Song, which he recorded several times: first in 1946, then with strings in 1953, again in 1961 in stereo, it sold an impressive 6 million copies in total.
But Nat King Cole wasn’t just a prolific recording artist; he also had a successful acting career, appearing in 43 films, where he often played himself. His influence extended beyond music, as he also had his own groundbreaking TV show, The Nat King Cole Show, which aired on NBC in 1956. It was the first TV show hosted by a Black man, featuring various guest artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and Sammy Davis Jr. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled in 1957 due to a lack of willing advertisers. Nat famously remarked, “Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark,” highlighting the racism in the advertising industry at the time—a powerful and revolutionary statement for a Black entertainer in the 50s.
Over the course of his career, Nat King Cole released 130 albums, 621 singles, and EPs. Even more remarkable, he entered the charts again in 2017, with The Christmas Song, a testament to his lasting impact on the music world—even 52 years after his passing.
Nat King Cole Tunes | Related Pages
Angel Eyes | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Angel Eyes by Frank Sinatra using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Am Am/G Am/F# Am/F | Am/E Am/Eb |
Try to think that love’s not around…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Angel Eyes (Frank Sinatra) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Autumn Leaves | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Autumn Leaves by Chet Baker using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Am7 | D7 | Gmaj7 | Cmaj7 |
The falling leaves drift by my window…
L-O-V-E | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G G6 | Gmaj7 G6 | A7sus4 Am7 | A6sus2 Am7 |
L, is for the way you look at me…
Love Me Tender | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Love Me Tender by Elvis using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| D D/A | E7 E7/B | A7 | D D/A |
Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Love Me Tender (Elvis) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Nat King Cole on the web
