Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Reading Comprehension for March 17
Nat King Cole was a pioneer among recording artists. His music grew and grew in popularity. At first, his songs became popular with black audiences. Soon, they attracted white audiences too. Later, his recordings became popular with an international audience as well.
Nat King Cole was a singer and a pianist. He gave live performances and made appearances on radio and TV.
Nathaniel Cole began playing piano at the age of four. He sang in his church choir too. By the age of five he gave his first public performance. By the time he was in high school, he was performing with popular bands.
His career began to take off while he was still in high school. He had joined his brother's band, Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, as their piano player. The Solid Swingers had more success than the average high school band. They were booked night after night to play at popular clubs.
They even made a recording. Cole's first recordings were published on labels aimed primarily at black audiences and known, at the time, as race records.
