Natalie
was a gifted performer. Always dressed like a Vogue cover girl. She was
about to remarry. Her to-be husband, Bishop Kenneth Dupree, sat in the
front row at the Gala and she sang directly to him all evening long. It
was romance in action. Love in the making. Wow.
Freddy
Cole, Natalie’s uncle, is a dear friend. He and his brothers, and
Johnny Hartman and Dinah Washington were all friends and started their
careers together. Freddie plays Chicago a couple times a year. I don’t
miss a show, sometimes seeing all performances.
He
is the elegant, debonair gent of the jazz stage, remindful of the era
when jazz ruled on the South Side of Chicago. Freddie played baseball
and began to sing in mid-life. Close your eyes and you hear brother.
Nat. His quiet voice charms a love song like no other. Romantic
elegance is the DNA of the King musical family.
Ike
Cole was a staple at the old Pump Room for many years. It was a joy to
see him. One evening Freddie called me to say that he and Natalie had
performed together in New York at the Blue Note. They were in New York
together and could not resist the opportunity. Wow.
“Why
didn’t you tell me, I would have been there,” I said. He said it wasn’t
planned, it just happened. Freddie was beaming through the phone. The
next day I called Freddie with a bright idea. I wanted to do a show with
the Coles. Freddie and Ike would be on piano and Natalie would be in
the middle just singing.
He
loved it. It never happened, but I worked on it for a while. Couldn’t
pull all the pieces together. Ike passed and then the show became Freddy
and Natalie. That didn’t happen, either, but I can dream, can’t I?
Natalie
was beautiful, talented, sophisticated. She had a good life. She
started singing in the clubs while in college studying psychology. She
followed her Dad’s singing footsteps. She became a master songstress.
But she was sweet and never got “star like.”
She
remained true to her craft and leaves a legacy of beautiful music. She
sang her song. She was Nat and Marie’s daughter. She was a bit of both.
She continued the legacy of King music as she made her own sound.
Unforgettable, indeed.
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