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Singles

Here is a listing of Nat's principal original releases on 45 rpm vinyl singles. Where available to me, the catalog number of the single preceeds the track listings.

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

Later singles

The following were issed posthumously by Capitol and may include overdubbing and other alterations not approved by Nat.

1965

1967

Notes about this selection

A load of words about the definition of "single" used here. From the time when Nat began recording (in 1936) until the era of the album as we know it (the long-play 12" vinyl record - LP - introduced in about 1949), records were simply known as records: two-sided 10" shellac discs that played at 78 revolutions per minute. With the debut of the long-play "album," similar updated technology was applied to make a two-sided 45 r.p.m. disc known as the "single," intended to phase out the shellac 78. This list begins with the first year LPs were commercially available, thus making a distinction between "albums" and "singles." In the early years here, when 78 r.p.m. and 45 r.p.m. were both available, I'd prefer to include only 45 r.p.m. singles, but I don't have specific enough information. Despite some uncertainty of overlapping formats, I believe this list does present what you could expect to have found on 45 r.p.m. singles.

Nat's recordings were often said to be more singles oriented. As far as successful singles go, Nat King Cole ranks among the top few artists in Capitol's history. Yet collecting this part of his catalog is difficult. Despite a Capitol box set titled as The Classic Singles, there remains no comprehensive compilation of his singles, such as Capitol produced for Frank Sinatra, and many are simply not available. Collecting what there is available would entail buying collections with a great deal of repeats. All I can do for you is to give you the best listing of his singles that I can at the moment. I hope this has been of interest.

Collectors note that Capitol singles acquired the prefix F in 1950 (such as, F-1808).

- the Cole-ctor laboring at this website