The Nat King Cole Trio

Real Name:
The King Cole Trio
Profile:
In 1937, Nat King Cole arrived in Los Angeles where he formed the original lineup of the Nat King Cole Trio. The trio consisted of Nat on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass - the absence of a drummer making the combo unique among the swing/jazz outifts of that time. The trio played in Los Angeles throughout the late 1930s and recorded many radio transcriptions.

In 1939, the Cole Trio was receiving enough attention to embark on its first tour of the East Coast and the Midwest - in New York, Cole, Moore and Prince backed singer Billie Holiday on one of her Manhattan gigs. In 1940, the Cole Trio made its first commercially available recording of Sweet Lorraine, which featured Cole on lead vocals and became the group's first hit as well as the group's theme on radio.

The outbreak of World War II lead to several line-up changes: Prince, who was drafted into the U.S. military, being temporarily replaced by Red Callender, and later by Johnny Miller who stayed with the group until 1948 (when he was replaced by Joe Comfort). The original guitarist, Oscar Moore, left in 1947 and was replaced by Irving Ashby. During its 1943-1949 period, the Cole Trio had its share of major hits, which were not only commercially successful, but also extremely influential.

By the end of the '40s, Nat King Cole (in accordance with Capitol Records' marketing strategy) gradually phased out his part as improvising jazz singer/pianist with the King Cole Trio, focussing on his new career as jazz-influenced pop singer that he pursued through the '50s and early '60s. The trio officially ceased to exist in September 1951, 14 years after its founding.

Original line-up (1937-1942):
Nat King Cole: piano
Oscar Moore: guitar
Wesley Prince: bass

Second line-up (1942):
Nat King Cole: piano
Oscar Moore: guitar
Red Callender: bass

"Capitol-years" line-up (1943-1947):
Nat King Cole: piano
Oscar Moore: guitar
Johnny Miller: bass

Forth line-up (1947-1948):
Nat King Cole: piano
Irving Ashby: guitar
Johnny Miller: bass

Fifth line-up (1948-1949):
Nat King Cole: piano
Irving Ashby: guitar
Joe Comfort: bass

Final line-up (1949-1951):
Nat King Cole: piano
Irving Ashby: guitar
Joe Comfort: bass
Jack Costanzo: bongos
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Albums

KBS 191N, KBS 192N Untitled — The Nat King Cole Trio Bill Roberts And His Orchestra, King Cole And His Swing Trio* Bill Roberts And His Orchestra, King Cole And His Swing Trio* - Untitled(Vinyl, 16", Transcription) Keystone Broadcasting System KBS 191N, KBS 192N US 1940 Sell This Version
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A-8, BD 8 The King Cole Trio — The Nat King Cole Trio The King Cole Trio* The King Cole Trio (Album) Capitol Records, Capitol Records A-8, BD 8 US 1944 Sell This Version
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Lib. No. 71 / Lib. No. 72 At The Piano — The Nat King Cole Trio Nat (King) Cole* At The Piano(Vinyl, 16", Transcription) C.P. MacGregor Lib. No. 71 / Lib. No. 72 US 1944 Sell This Version
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20061 The King Cole Trio Vol. 2 — The Nat King Cole Trio The King Cole Trio* The King Cole Trio Vol. 2 (Album, Comp) Capitol Records 20061 US 1946 Sell This Version
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B-157, B-158 Untitled — The Nat King Cole Trio King Cole Trio* Untitled(Vinyl, 16", Transcription) Capitol Transcriptions B-157, B-158 US 1946 Sell This Version
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2 / 72 Untitled — The Nat King Cole Trio King Cole Trio* / Carmen Cavellero* King Cole Trio* / Carmen Cavellero* - Untitled(Vinyl, 16", Transcription) Armed Forces Radio Service 2 / 72 US 1947 Sell This Version
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1 / 71 Untitled — The Nat King Cole Trio King Cole Trio*, Carmen Cavallaro King Cole Trio*, Carmen Cavallaro - Untitled(Vinyl, 16", Transcription) Armed Forces Radio Service 1 / 71 US 1947 Sell This Version
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DC-89 King Cole For Kids — The Nat King Cole Trio The King Cole Trio* King Cole For Kids (Album) Capitol Records DC-89 US 1948 Sell This Version
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CC-59 Volume 3 — The Nat King Cole Trio King Cole Trio* Volume 3 (Album, EP) Capitol Records CC-59 US 1948 Sell This Version
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CC 139, CC-139 King Cole And His Trio, Vol. 4 — The Nat King Cole Trio King Cole Trio* King Cole And His Trio, Vol. 4 (Album, Comp, EP) Capitol Records, Capitol Records CC 139, CC-139 US 1949 Sell This Version
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H-213, H213 Harvest Of Hits — The Nat King Cole Trio Nat King Cole And His Trio* Harvest Of Hits (Album, EP, Comp) Capitol Records, Capitol Records H-213, H213 Canada 1950 Sell This Version
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LCT.6003 10th Anniversary Album — The Nat King Cole Trio The Nat King Cole Trio 10th Anniversary Album (Album, EP) Capitol Records LCT.6003 UK 1954 Sell This Version
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LAT 8123 In The Beginning — The Nat King Cole Trio Nat 'King' Cole Trio* In The Beginning (Album, Comp) Ace Of Hearts, Ace Of Hearts LAT 8123 UK 1956 Sell This Version
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W-782, W782 After Midnight — The Nat King Cole Trio Nat 'King' Cole And His Trio* After Midnight (Album, EP) Capitol Records, Capitol Records W-782, W782 Canada 1956 Sell This Version
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T-2311 Original Vocal And Instrumental Recordings Of The Easy Listenin' Favorites — The Nat King Cole Trio The Nat King Cole Trio Original Vocal And Instrumental Recordings Of The Easy Listenin' Favorites (Comp) Capitol Records T-2311 US 1965 Sell This Version
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MFP 1129 Nat King Cole And The Nat King Cole Trio — The Nat King Cole Trio The Nat King Cole Trio Nat King Cole And The Nat King Cole Trio (Album, Comp) Music For Pleasure MFP 1129 UK 1966 Sell This Version
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M-11033 Trio Days — The Nat King Cole Trio King Cole Trio* Trio Days (Comp) Capitol Records M-11033 US 1972 Sell This Version
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M-14.048 Canta Nat The Nat "King" Cole Trio* Canta Nat "King" Cole(LP, Album) MCA Coral M-14.048 Spain 1973 Sell This Version
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C 03854 The King Cole Trio — The Nat King Cole Trio The Nat King Cole Trio The King Cole Trio (Album) World Record Club, World Record Club C 03854 Australia 1977 Sell This Version
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LP-5006 Jimmy Lunceford's Second Jubilee — The Nat King Cole Trio Jimmie Lunceford, King Cole And His Trio*, Butterfly McQueen, Carmen Miranda, Lena Horne, The Golden Gate Quartet, Joe Thomas (3) Jimmie Lunceford, King Cole And His Trio*, Butterfly McQueen, Carmen Miranda, Lena Horne, The Golden Gate Quartet, Joe Thomas (3) - Jimmy Lunceford's Second Jubilee(LP) Joyce LP-5006 US 1978 Sell This Version
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GOJ-1013 The Forgotten Years — The Nat King Cole Trio King Cole Trio* The Forgotten Years (Album) Giants Of Jazz Records GOJ-1013 US 1979 Sell This Version
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3026 In The Cool Of The Evening — The Nat King Cole Trio The Nat King Cole Trio In The Cool Of The Evening (Album) Official (3) 3026 Denmark 1989 Sell This Version
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none A Musical Contribution By America's Best For Our Armed Forces Overseas — The Nat King Cole Trio King Cole Trio* A Musical Contribution By America's Best For Our Armed Forces Overseas (Album) V Disc none US 1997 Sell This Version
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CD 53147 Nat King Cole Trio 1945-1946 — The Nat King Cole Trio Nat King Cole Trio* With Oscar Moore & Johnny Miller (2) Nat King Cole Trio* With Oscar Moore & Johnny Miller (2) - Nat King Cole Trio 1945-1946(CD, Album) Giants Of Jazz CD 53147 1997 Sell This Version
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CD 53154 Nat King Cole Trio 1947 — The Nat King Cole Trio Nat King Cole Trio* With Oscar Moore, Johnny Miller (2) Nat King Cole Trio* With Oscar Moore, Johnny Miller (2) - Nat King Cole Trio 1947(CD) Giants Of Jazz CD 53154 Italy 1997 Sell This Version