Natalie Cole
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Natalie Cole is a Famous Award Winning American R&B Singer who rose to fame via her debut album, Inserable. She was the daughter of the Icon Singer, Nat King Cole.
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About
Natalie Cole or "Natalie Maria Cole" in real life was born on February 6, 1950 to the famous Legendary singer, Nat King Cole and "Maria Cole". Natalie was raised in Los Angeles. Natalie made her singing debut at the age of six on her Dad’s Christmas album. At eleven, she used to performed briefly in a nightclub act.
Her father died of lung cancer when she was 15 years old. After Nat's death, Maria and her children moved to Massachusetts. She attended the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts. While earning a degree in child psychology from the University of Massachusetts, she hooked up with a band in Amherst as lead singer and they played jazz as well as rock.
She graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1972 with a B.A. in child psychology. After earning her degree, Natalie toured local clubs with a band called "Black Magic". Natalie met Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy ,Chicago-based songwriters and record producers while she was performing at Mister Kelly's nightclub in Chicago. They wanted to write and produce an album with her.
Her debut album, Inseperable was released in 1975 under Capitol Records. It features the singles, "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" and "Inseparable" which both chartered #1 on the US R&B Charts. While media pundits were quick to proclaim Natalie's emergence as the ‘new' soul queen, the record-buying public was simply enjoying the freshness and energy Natalie exuded on her debut album. She also earned a gold record and in 1976 won two Grammy awards. Natalie married Marvin in 1976. She also released her next album, Natalie in that same year. It spawned the single "Sophisticated Lady" which peaked #1 on the R&B Charts.
Her next album, Unpredictable was released in February 1977 which was a million seller and contained the hit single "I’ve Got Love On My Mind.". The album also reached Platinum. In November 1977, she released the album, Thankful which also features the hit singles, "I've Got Love on My Mind" and "Our Love". The album went platinum.
She issued a live album, Natalie Live in 1978. In 1979, she released another solo album, I Love You So which features the hit singles, "Stand By" and "Sorry". Natalie teamed up with Peabo Bryson in that same year and issued the album, We're the Best of Friends which became hit.
In 1980, she released the album, Don't Look Back which spawned the hit single, "Someone That I Used To Love" which chartered #3 on the US Adult Contemporary Charts. Her next album, Happy Love was released in 1981. However, her personal problems were escalating out of control and soon stalled her initial stardom. Natalie’s drug and alcohol use became heavy and eventually took a toll on her career. Her career paused in the early 1980s as she dealt with the challenges of her severe drug problem. Her husband died in 1982.
In 1985, she was back in good health, and began a comeback by releasing her next album, Dangerous under Atco Records. The album sold 150,000 copies. She released her next album, Everlasting in 1987. The album sold over 2 million copies in the United States. The album features the hit singles, "I Live For Your Love" which chartered #2 on the Adult Contemporary Charts, "Jump Start" and "Pink Cadillac" which reached #1 on Dance Singles Chart and the remake "When I Fall In Love".
In 1989 she released Good to Be Back, which included the top ten hits "Miss You Like Crazy" and "Someone’s Rocking My Dreamboat. That same year Natalie met music producer Andre Fischer, who was a drummer for the band Rufus and for Chaka Khan. Andre was secretly in love with her. They married and began work on an album that was unforgettable.
In 1991, she released her largest selling album, Unforgettable…..With Love under Elektra Records. The album is a special tribute to her father that contains twenty-two of his classics. The album won seven Grammy awards including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance. It was his husband who produced the album which also contains the singles, "The Very Thought of You," "Mona Lisa," and "Route 66".
The most fascinating single was the song "Unforgettable". With a little help from the masters of technology, Natlaie performed the song as a duet with her father using her father's original recording. The idea was unprecedented and the result was overwhelming. As a single, it chartered #14 on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart, and went gold. The album became a certified 8x Platinum.
Her next album, Take A Look was released in 1993 which was just a moderate hit and won for her another Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Her album, Holly and Ivy was released in 1994. Her marriage with Andre ended in 1995. Her next album, Snowfall on The Sahara was released in 1999. In 2000, she released an autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder, which described her battle with drugs during much of her life. It debuted at #1 on Los Angeles Times Bookseller list.
In 2002, she released the album, Ask A Woman Who Knows. The album features the songs, ""Tell Me All About It," "Ask A Woman Who Knows, and "Better Than Anything". The album debuted #1 on the Jazz Chart. After 6 years of not releasing a studio album, she will soon released her new album, Forgiveness in May 2008.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Grammy Award | Best New Artist of The Year |
| 1975 | Grammy Award | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "This Will Be" |
| 1976 | Grammy Award | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Sophisticated Lady (She's A Different Lady)" |
| 1977 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues |
| 1978 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues |
| 1991 | Grammy Award | Best Traditional Pop Performance for "Unforgettable" |
| 1991 | Grammy Award | Record of The Year for "Unforgettable" |
| 1991 | American Music Awards | Favorite Artist - Adult Contemporary |
| 1993 | Grammy Award | Best Jazz Vocal Performance for "Take A Look" |
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for "When I Fall in Love" |
| 1999 | Songwriters Hall of Fame | Hitmaker Award |
| 2000 | NAACP Image Awards | Best Actress -
Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special |
| 2002 | NAACP Image Awards | Best Jazz Artist |
Certifications
| Year | Album | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Unpredictable | Certified Platinum |
| 1977 | Thankful | Certified Platinum |
| 1989 | Good To Be Back | Certified Platinum |
| 1989 | Unforgettable... with Love | Certified 8x Platinum |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | US Hot 100 | US R&B | US Adult | US Dance | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) | 6 | 1 | 45 | 5 | Inseperable |
| 1976 | Inseperable | 32 | 1 | 20 | - | Inseperable |
| 1976 | Sophisticated Lady (She's A Different Lady) | 25 | 1 | - | - | Natalie |
| 1976 | Mr. Melody | 49 | 10 | 25 | - | Natalie |
| 1977 | I've Got Love on My Mind | 5 | 1 | 45 | - | Unpredictable |
| 1978 | Our Love | 10 | 1 | 33 | - | Thankful |
| 1980 | Someone That I Used To Love | 21 | 21 | 3 | - | Don't Look Back |
| 1987 | Someone That I Used To Love | 13 | 4 | 2 | - | Everlasting |
| 1987 | Pink Cadillac | 5 | 9 | 16 | 1 | Everlasting |
| 1988 | Miss You Like Crazy | 7 | 1 | 1 | - | Good To Be Back |
| 1991 | Unforgettable | 14 | 10 | - | Unforgettable... With Love |
News
Tours & Concerts
Mar 14, 2008 Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara California, United States
Mar 29, 2008 World Trade & Convention Center, Halifax Canada
Apr 25, 2008 Playhouse Square Center - Allen Theatre Cleveland, Ohio, United States
May 07, 2008 Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts United States
May 13, 2008 Palace Theater - Theater Stage, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
May 14, 2008 Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood New Jersey, United States
May 16, 2008 Community Theatre, Morristown, New Jersey, United States
May 17, 2008 Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Incorporated, Bronx, New York, United States
May 18, 2008 Stamford Center For The Arts - Palace Theatre, Stamford, Connecticut, United States
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
Albums
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Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) | Capitol |
| 1975 | Inseparable | Capitol |
| 1976 | Inseparable | Capitol |
| 1976 | Sophisticated Lady (She's A Different Lady) | Capitol |
| 1976 | Mr. Melody | Capitol |
| 1977 | I've Got Love on My Mind | Capitol |
| 1977 | Party Lights | Capitol |
| 1978 | Our Love | Capitol |
| 1978 | Annie Mae | Capitol |
| 1980 | Someone That I Used To Love | Capitol |
| 1981 | You Were Right Girl | Atco |
| 1985 | Secrets | Atco |
| 1987 | I Live For Your Love | EMI |
| 1987 | Everlasting | EMI |
| 1988 | Pink Cadillac | EMI |
| 1988 | When I Fall In Love | EMI |
| 1989 | As A Matter of Fact | EMI |
| 1991 | Unforgettable | Elektra |
| 1992 | The Very Thought Of You | Elektra |
Compilations & Live Releases
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 Love Songs
2007 |
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Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Influences
Trivia
- Natalie received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1979.
- Natalie received an NAACP Image Award in March of 2001 for her role in her movie Living For Love.
- She was ranked #92 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll.
- She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. - A historically African-American Public Service Sorority, founded at Howard University in Washington, DC in 1913.
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | R&B | Soul | Jazz | Adult Contemporary | Quiet Storm
