Nat King Cole understood the beauty of Autumn leaves

Nat King Cole understood the beautiful melancholy of the falling Autumn leaves - 1957

Ella Fitzgerald and Nat 'King' Cole are alright with me

Nat 'King' Cole and Ella Fitzgerald breaking racial barriers in entertainment on the Nat King Cole Show in 1949. 

Nat King Cole belongs on every musical Mount Rushmore

Nat Cole was a seminal figure in the development of American popular music. He was a magnificent jazz pianist whose best work is considered by many to have been done within his original trio format, but he was directed away from the keyboard to showcase his warm, caressing baritone in pop settings. In November, 1956, he became the first African American to host his own television show. It was cancelled in December, 1957 for lack of sponsorship. Nat's response was, "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark".  He continued to record, albeit in far more middle of the road settings, maintaining his popularity until his death in 1965 at age 46 from lung cancer. He paved the way for many crossover artists that followed (e.g., Sam Cooke, Harry Belafonte, Ray Charles, et. al.), but his talents were rarely equaled and never surpassed. 

Nature Boy

Caravan

When I Fall in Love

Nat and Ella breaking barriers by touching (!) on national television