• February 6, 1950
• The daughter of Nat King Cole, Natalie eschewed a career in music and got a degree in child psychology from the University of Massachussetts in 1972. During her senior year, she decided to try singing along with her studies, and pursued both interests after graduating. When her first album, Inseparable, was released in 1975, it was a huge hit and music became her full time job.
• Her famous father was an influence on Natalie's phrasing and vocal style, but she says her main influences were Jazz artists like Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson.
• Natalie's first record deal was with Capitol Records, which was where her dad recorded. She got the deal after recording material with the producers Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, who were members of the soul group The Independents. The pair wrote all the songs on her first album, including the hits "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" and "Inseparable."
• She grew up in a wealthy, mostly white community in Los Angeles, and when she went to college, she joined the Black Panthers and was active in protesting the Vietnam War. "When I went to college I realised I was a black person too. It was a great eye-opener for me, which is why I got involved," said Cole.
• Her success in the late '70s coincided with turmoil in her personal life and an addiction to heroin and crack cocaine. She went into rehab in 1983 and released her album Dangerous in 1985, which she claimed was the first one she recorded sober.
• When Amy Winehouse performed at the Grammy Awards in 2008, Cole said, "I don't agree with the Grammys giving [Amy] those nods. I think it sends the wrong message." She added: "Her behavior was being glorified. They took advantage of a young girl who's very ill."
  
  Cole took some criticism for the remarks, but her concerns were justified, as Winehouse died in 2011.
• In 2008 she was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which she got from sharing needles in her days as an addict.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Open ArmsJourney

"Open Arms" was a pioneering power ballad. Stadium rock bands like Journey shied away from slow songs, but when they reluctantly agreed to record the song, it became their biggest chart hit.

That's The Way Love GoesJanet Jackson

The longest-running #1 US hit for a member of the Jackson family is Janet's "That's The Way Love Goes," with eight weeks on top.

Born In The U.S.A.Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." was inspired by the book (later a movie) Born On The Fourth Of July by Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran who protested the war when he returned home.

St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)John Parr

"St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" was not written for the movie, but for Rick Hanson, a wheelchair athlete whose 1985 "Man In Motion" tour logged 24,856 miles on his wheelchair in 34 countries while raising $26 million for spinal cord research.

One Tree HillU2

The TV show One Tree Hill got it's name from a song of the same name on U2's Joshua Tree album.

American PieDon McLean

The only cover of "American Pie" to chart is by Madonna, whose 2000 version was a minor hit in America but went to #1 in the UK.

Editor's Picks

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.

La La Brooks of The CrystalsSong Writing

The lead singer on "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," La La explains how and why Phil Spector replaced The Crystals with Darlene Love on "He's A Rebel."

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.