The SRO Show – Natalie Cole

The Unforgettable Natalie Cole

Produced by Lawrence Standifer Stevens

Written by Joseph E. Casanova

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The daughter of legendary crooner Nat “King” Cole, Natalie Cole, captivated audiences all over the world for more than three decades with hits such as Unforgettable, Our Love, and Jump Start (My Heart).

The musical world ended 2015 on a sad note with the untimely death of the pop and soul superstar on Dec. 31 in Los Angeles at age 65.

Cole grew up listening to a variety of artists including her idol Aretha Franklin and blues-rock queen, Janis Joplin. She later sang in small clubs with her band, Black Magic.

She signed with the Capitol Records, the same label as her father. In 1975, she released her debut, Inseparable, yielding the Grammy-winning single This Will Be and the #1 hit R&B title track.

Nabbing the top honor for Best New Artist, she avoided the sophomore slump with Natalie, highlighted by the funky Sophisticated Lady and the jazzy Mr. Melody.

Cole became the first female to have two platinum discs in one year with her third and fourth albums, Unpredictable and Thankful. Both collections included her signature ballads I’ve Got Love on My Mind and Our Love.

The Los Angeles native re-established herself as a major pop star with 1987’s Everlasting   , which featured the club favorite Jump Start (My Heart). She cited her rock influences with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Pink Cadillac.

Cole reached international audiences with her first Spanish language CD, En Español in 2013. The compilation earned a nod for Latin Grammy for Album of the Year with covers of Tito Puente’s Oye Come Va and the bolero, Besame Mucho, with opera virtuoso, Andrea Bocelli.

My personal favorite was the tropical ballad Bachata Rosa with guest vocals from its Dominican composer, Juan Luis Guerra.

In the early 90’s, her career soared to stratospheric heights with Unforgettable…with Love, an homage to Nat King Cole’s music.

Her label released an interactive duet between Cole and her father on the title song, Unforgettable. The tribute set sold over seven million copies and netted several Grammies, including Album of the Year.

Natalie Cole and her dad may be gone, but their legacies will definitely make them. . . unforgettable.