Born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1919, Brother Nat King Cole performed for the first time at four. He became a full-time musician by age 15 and a Grammy Award-winning singer and jazz pianist.
He recorded dozens of hits, including many hit singles. Some of his most famous singles include “Unforgettable,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Mona Lisa.”
Cole became a Freemason in 1944 after joining Thomas Waller Lodge No. 49 in California, a lodge named after Prince Hall Mason and jazz musician Fats Waller. Brother Cole became a Scottish Rite Freemason and was a Prince Hall Freemason for the rest of his life.
Once, he was criticized for playing to segregated audiences as a young man, to which he said, “I may be helping to bring harmony between people through my music.” His commitment to bringing people together through his music demonstrates how he strived to live his Masonic values.
