By Don Valentine
This is a new segment the Westside Gazette will feature thru the end of February. That is the conclusion of Black History Month. Hopefully it will educate or jog your memory on the legacy of our Black pioneers!
Natalie Cole was the phenomenal daughter of Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer Maria Hawkins Ellington. Natalie was raised in the plush, affluent Hancock Park district of Los Angeles. This pedigree exposed her and her parents to many great singers of jazz, soul, and blues.
Most people don’t know she was a proud member of the sisters of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. The sisters were formed at Howard University in 1913. 22 strong sisters formed the vital sorority of civic community achievers.
Natalie, enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst for college but then transferred briefly to the University of Southern California where she pledged the Upsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. After pledging she transferred back to the University of Massachusetts, where she majored in Child Psychology and minored in German, graduating in 1972.
She rose to musical success in the mid-1970’s as a R&B artist with the hits “This Will Be”, “Inseparable”, and “Our Love” and then came back to music in the late 80s with her album Everlasting.
In the 1990’s, she re-recorded some of her father’s greatest songs which ended up being resulting in her biggest success. The album Unforgettable, with Love, sold over seven million copies and also won Natalie numerous Grammy Awards. To this day, she has sold over 30 million records worldwide.
In addition to her stellar musical legacy she left a footprint in t.v. and film! Natalie pursued a career in acting. She appeared several times in concerts or other music related programs. In 2001, she starred as herself in Livin’ for Love: the Natalie Cole Story, for which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress. She was another Black treasure!
