American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole released 28 studio albums and 1 live album. His career spanned almost three decades where he found success and recorded over 100 songs that became hits on the pop charts. Cole started his career as a jazz pianist in the late 1930s, when he formed the King Cole Trio, which became the top-selling group (and the only black act) on Capitol Records in the 1940s. Cole's trio was the model for small jazz ensembles that followed. Starting in 1950, he transitioned to become a solo singer billed as Nat King Cole.
Some of Cole's most notable singles include "Unforgettable", "Smile", "L-O-V-E", "Nature Boy", "When I Fall in Love", "Let There Be Love", "Mona Lisa", "Autumn Leaves", "Stardust", "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "The Very Thought of You", "For Sentimental Reasons", "Embraceable You" and "Almost Like Being in Love". His 1960 Christmas album The Magic of Christmas (also known as The Christmas Song), is the best-selling Christmas album released in the 1960s; and was ranked as one of the 40 essential Christmas albums (2019) by Rolling Stone. In 2022, Cole's recording of "The Christmas Song", broke the record for the longest journey to the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, when it peaked at number nine, 62 years after it debuted on the chart; and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry.
Capitol 78-rpm albums Volumes 1–4 released as separate booklets in 10" format. Booklet Volumes 1 and 2 contain 4 shellac records. Booklet Volumes 3 and 4 contain 3 shellac records. Volume 4 is also issued in a box set of three 45-rpm records. 1945 – The King Cole Trio 1946 – The King Cole Trio, Volume 2 1947 – The King Cole Trio, Volume 3 1949 – The King Cole Trio, Volume 4
Capitol 10" albums 1950 – Nat King Cole at the Piano 1950 – Harvest of Hits 1951 – King Cole for Kids 1952 – Penthouse Serenade 1952 – Top Pops 1953 – Nat King Cole Sings for Two in Love 1954 – Unforgettable (RIAA: Platinum)
Capitol 12" albums 1955 – Penthouse Serenade 1955 – Nat King Cole Sings for Two In Love 1955 – The Piano Style of Nat King Cole 1957 – Love Is the Thing (RIAA: Platinum) 1957 – After Midnight 1957 – Just One of Those Things 1958 – Cole Español 1958 – St. Louis Blues 1958 – The Very Thought of You 1958 – To Whom It May Concern 1959 – Welcome to the Club 1959 – A Mis Amigos 1960 – Tell Me All About Yourself 1960 – Every Time I Feel the Spirit 1960 – Wild Is Love 1960 – The Magic of Christmas (reissued in 1963 as The Christmas Song, substituting his 1961 recording of "The Christmas Song" for "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen") (RIAA: 6× Platinum) 1961 – The Nat King Cole Story 1961 – The Touch of Your Lips 1962 – Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays 1962 – Ramblin' Rose (RIAA: Platinum) 1962 – Dear Lonely Hearts 1962 – More Cole Español 1963 – Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer 1963 – Where Did Everyone Go? 1964 – Nat King Cole Sings My Fair Lady 1964 – Let's Face the Music! (Recorded 1961) 1964 – I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore 1965 – L-O-V-E 1966 – Nat King Cole at the Sands (recorded live, reached No. 74 in the US)
Original compilation albums 1955 – 10th Anniversary Album 1956 – Ballads of the Day 1957 – This Is Nat King Cole 1965 – Sings Songs from Cat Ballou & Other Motion Pictures (No. 77 US) 1965 – Sings Hymns & Spirituals
Other compilation albums 1965 – Unforgettable (No. 30 US) 1965 – Looking Back (No. 360 US) 1965 – Nat King Cole Trio: The Vintage Years 1965 – Nature Boy 1966 – Longines Symphonette Society Presents the Unforgettable Nat King Cole (box set) 1966 – The Unforgettable Nat King Cole Sings the Great Songs (No. 145 US) 1966 – Sincerely 1967 – Stay as Sweet as You Are 1967 – The Beautiful Ballads 1967 – Thank You, Pretty Baby 1968 – Best of Nat King Cole (No. 187 US) (RIAA: Platinum) 1969 – Close-Up (No. 197 US) 1970 – The Magic of Christmas with Children (Safeway Supermarket promo LP) 1972 – The Greatest of Nat King Cole (2-album set sold by Dynamic House) 1973 – Nature Boy 1974 – Love Is Here to Stay 1974 – Love is a Many Splendored Thing 1977 – 20 Golden Greats (BPI: Platinum, AUS: Platinum) 1979 – Reader's Digest Presents: The Great Nat King Cole (box set) 1982 – Greatest Love Songs (BPI: Platinum) 1983 – Unforgettable (Australia) 1990 – Hit That Jive, Jack 1990 – Jumpin' at Capitol 1990 – Capitol Collectors' Series (RIAA: Gold) 1990 – Cole, Christmas, & Kids 1990 – 12 Historical Recordings (Conquistador; CONQ 009) 1990 – 12 More Historical Recordings (Conquistador; CONQ 016) 1991 – The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio (box set, Mosaic Records) 1991 – The Unforgettable Nat King Cole (RIAA: Gold, BPI: Silver) 1992 – Nat King Cole at the Movies 1992 – Christmas Favorites 1992 – The Best of the Nat King Cole Trio: The Instrumental Classics 1993 – The Billy May Sessions 1993 – Mis Mejores Canciones: 19 Super Exitos 1994 – Let's Face the Music & Dance 1994 – Greatest Hits (RIAA: Platinum) 1996 – Sincerely/The Beautiful Ballads 1997 – For Sentimental Reasons 1997 – Retro 1997 – A Touch of Class 1997 – Tell Me All About Yourself/The Touch of Your Lips 1998 – The Frim Fram Sauce 1998 – Dear Lonely Hearts/I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore 1999 – Where Did Everyone Go?/Looking Back 1999 – Live at the Circle Room 1999 – The Christmas Song 2000 – Coast to Coast Live (1963 concert at Riverside Inn, Fresno, Calif., 1962 WNEW radio show) 2000 – Route 66 2000 – Christmas for Kids: From One to Ninety-Two 2001 – Golden Greats 2001 – The King Swings 2001 – Try Not to Cry 2001 – Night Lights (radio recordings from 1956, most tracks previously unreleased) 2002 – Sings the Great Songs/Thank You, Pretty Baby 2003 – Stepping Out of a Dream 2003 – The Classic Singles (4-CD book) 2003 – 20 Golden Greats 2003 – The Best Of... 2003 – Love Songs (BPI: Silver) 2003 – The Nat King Cole Trio (with famous guests) 2003 – The One and Only Nat King Cole 2004 – Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer/My Fair Lady 2005 – The World of Nat King Cole (bonus DVD added 2006) (BPI: Silver) 2006 – The Very Best of Nat King Cole 2006 – Stardust: The Complete Capitol Recordings, 1955–1959 2006 – L-O-V-E: The Complete Capitol Recordings, 1960–1964 2008 – Holiday Collection 2008: NBC Sounds of the Season 2009 – Re:Generations 2014 – The Extraordinary Nat King Cole 2015 – The Platinum Collection: 75 Original Classics 2019 - Hittin' the Ramp: the Early Years (1936-1943)https://resonancerecords.org/product/nat-king-cole-hittin-the-ramp-the-early-years-1936-1943/ 2019 – Ultimate Nat King Cole 2021 – A Sentimental Christmas with Nat "King" Cole and Friends: Cole Classics Reimagined 2022 – From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 1) 2022 – From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 2) 2023 – From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 3) 2023 – From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 4) 2024 – From The Capitol Vaults (Vol. 5) 2024 – Live at the Blue Note Chicago
Chart singles