Classics
1994
The Chronological Nat King Cole: 1940 - 1941
About This Album
Considering how well he improvised at the piano, Nat King Cole's rise to fame was gruelingly gradual. Volume Two in the Classics Nat King Cole chronology contains all of the recordings he made between July 22, 1940 and March 14, 1941. His trio, a sharp little unit containing guitarist Oscar Moore and string bassist Wesley Prince, spent much of the year 1940 holding down a steady gig in the Radio Room, a small club located at 1539 Vine Street in Hollywood. It was there that they polished their act to perfection, ignored by both the public at large and the major record labels. As King Cole's Swingsters, they did manage to cut a small number of records for the Davis & Schwegler transcription service, a sleazy little fly by night outfit that soon went bankrupt, leaving the recordings unreleased and the musicians unpaid. Cole sued and was ultimately granted the princely sum of $7.47 to compensate himself and his group for an entire day's work. These are the circumstances behind the first 12 tracks on this compilation. Cole sings on four of them, Maxene Johnson (who also recorded with Franz Jackson and Count Basie) sings four and the remaining four titles are instrumental. The King Cole Trio started working for Decca on December 6, 1940.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15 and 16)

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