I was a guinea pig for some hoodlums who thought they could hurt me and frighten me and keep other Negro entertainers from the South.

Success

Cole's first mainstream vocal hit was his 1943 recording of one of his compositions "Straighten Up and Fly Right" based on a black folk tale that his father had used as a theme for a sermon. " It became the first radio program sponsored by a black performing artist. He owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres.

He owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres. Cole was one of the first African Americans to host a television variety show The Nat King Cole Show and has maintained worldwide popularity since his death from lung cancer in February 1965.