NatalieCole

Natalie Cole

    As the daughter of legendary crooner Nat 'King' Cole, Natalie was already famous when she launched her recording career in 1975 at the age of 25. She first began performing with dad in the early 1960's and by the age of 12 she was the lead singer in the Malibu Music Men, a teenaged jazz group. When her dad died of cancer in 1965 Natalie was devastated. Her mother later remarried and moved the family to Massachusetts where Natalie began attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
     In 1972, she received a degree in child psychology, and started getting booked more often for club gigs with the local bar band Black Magic. Outgrowing the group Natalie left Black Magic in 1974 to pursue a solo career. She was quickly signed by Capitol Records (her father's former label) to a contract. The following year "Inseparable" was released to rave reviews. Female impersonaters across the country latched onto the album and helped it attain Gold status with in a short time. The title track and the club favorite "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" both topped the R&B charts giving her a solid start.
     1976 was a banner year for Natalie, besides winning two Grammys her second album "Natalie" also went Gold. She again had a number one hit with "Sophisticated Lady (She's A Different Lady)" and another club favorite with "Mr. Melody." It was apparent that Natalie's early career success was due to her large gay fan base. That year she also married her Chicago-based producer Marvin Yancy.
     1977 brought more of the same. Her third album, "Unpredictable" was her first to go Platinum. It spawned her first real disco hit with "Party Lights" as well as another number one with "I've Got Love On My Mind." And 1978's "Thankful" also went Gold giving her a fifth number one with "Our Love." That year she gave birth to her only child, son Robert Adam Yancy. Her first television event "The Natalie Cole Special" also became the Gold double-album "Natalie Cole Live!" giving her a third phenominal year in a row.
     Natalie separated from Yancy in 1979 and they were later divorced. As Natalie's relationship with her management and record company began to deteriorate, and with faltering record sales, she fell into a period of depression and became increasingly dependent on alcohol and drugs. She entered a drug rehab program, but returned to her vices shortly after her release.
     In 1979, she released "I Love You So" and "We're The Best Of Friends," an album of duets with Peabo Bryson. 1980's "Don't Look Back" and 1981's "Happy Love" followed. All four failed to place any charting singles and the label finally dropped her.
    Because of her instability over the last four years it was difficult for Natalie to land a recording contract, but Larkin Arnold (label President) took a chance on her, resulting in the 1983 Epic Records release "I'm Ready." But she clearly wasn't. She entered another treatment center after the near death of her son while she was on drugs and finally kicked her addictions. The compact disc featured two tracks not available on the album and two 12" singles: "Too Much Mister" and "I Won't Deny You" failed miserably.
     After the dismal sales of her Epic release the label dropped her. Natalie found herself in the humiliating position of having to do a showcase (audition) for Modern Records execs. Convinced that she was still in fine voice and clean from her addictions they gave her a one-shot deal. 1985's "Dangerous" gave her two 12" single club hits, the title track and "Secrets" but no radio hits. All that would change with the release of "Everlasting" in 1987. The album marked her turn around and gave her three hit singles. "I Live For Your Love," "Jump Start" (her biggest club success at that point) and "Pink Cadillac" a cover of the Bruce Springsteen track that went to number five on the pop charts and number one in the clubs.
     1989's aptly titled "Good To Be Back" gave her another smash radio hit with "Miss You Like Crazy" but she chose to steer clear of any obvious dance tracks. The accompanying video collection (her first) was released to help promote the album and sold quite well. In September Natalie married Andre Fischer, her record producer, to whom she is still married to.
     Natalie marked her greatest commercial success with her next album, 1991's "Unforgettable, With Love" on which she recorded electronically engineered duets with her late father. The album topped the Billboard album chart for five weeks, and sold more than 10 million copies. It also received seven Grammy nominations, and won five awards, including Album, Song and Record Of The Year.
     1993's "Take A Look" went gold, and added another Grammy to her collection for Best Vocal Performance. In 1994, she starred in "Lily In Winter," a USA Network Premiere Movie, for which she received rave reviews and released "Holly And Ivy," a jazzy Christmas album.
     1996's "Stardust" featured another duet with her father, the classic "When I Fall In Love," which won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She collaborated on another yuletide album that year with "A Celebration Of Christmas" where she sang with opera legends Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo.
     1998 found her back on the small screen, co-starring with Laurence Fishburne in the HBO made-for-TV movie, "Always Outnumbered." 1999's "Snowfall On The Sahara," a mix of pop and R&B, was released that year, followed by another seasonal album, "The Magic Of Christmas," recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. This disc featured another duet with her father on "The Christmas Song."
     Elektra Records released "Natalie Cole's Greatest Hits" in 2000, the same year her autobiography, "Angel On My Shoulder," was published, and NBC aired a movie of it, for which she was executive producer. In 2002, "Ask A Woman Who Knows" was released. Natalie is one of America's true diva's...starting with it all, losing it all and then regaining it all. A woman of courage and stamina and incredible talent we love Natalie.....thanks Ms. Cole!