A classic Christmas song done live on TV by one of the classiest singers ever — the late Nat King Cole doing his famous “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”). A MUST VIEW video to see him perform it live, savor the lyrics, the music and the performance:
He was an incredible singer and had a superb variety show which in the end couldn’t get enough sponsors to stay on the air…because he was black.
He said: “Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.”
Nat King Cole has remained a favorite for those who listen to and study the American Songbook — even though he died at the age of 46 in 1965 of lung cancer. Cole had been a heavy smoker because he loved cigarettes but also felt the tobacco gave his voice the tone he wanted and for which he was famous.
He recorded his last album, knowing that he was terminally ill.
And when it came out after his death one song in particular became the smash hit he would never live to see a smash hit. In some movies they use it as a kind of “camp” (corny) song, but when King sang it, it was a upbeat, uplifting work of art:
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.