The Influence of Nat King Cole on the Rock Music Field

Ray Charles moved to the West Coast, and unsuccessfully auditioned for Lucky Melander's band. He would occasionally play jazz with Bump's Blackwell and Dizzy Gillespie. But playing jazz wasn't how Ray Charles was going to make his name. The most popular style for black musicians in the late 40s and early 50s was a particular kind of smooth blues - incorporating aspects of crooning alongside blues and jazz. We've heard Nat King Cole before, playing piano with Les Paul and Illinois Jacquet,. but it's still hard for modern listeners to remember that before his massive pop success, with ballads like Unforgettable, Cole was making music which may not have been quite as successful commercially