Biographies: Natalie Cole (~nataliecole.com)

Nine-time GRAMMY award winner singer, songwriter and performer Natalie Cole has proven to be one of the most beloved performers of all time. Cole released her second book “Love Brought Me Back” in November 2010 chronicling her path to a kidney transplant in 2009.

Natalie Cole rocketed to stardom in 1975 with her debut album, Inseparable, earning her a #1 single, “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” and two Grammy® awards for Best New Artist, as well as Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. More hit singles followed, including 1976’s “Sophisticated Lady (She’s A Different Lady),” 1977’s “I’ve Got Love on My Mind,” 1978’s “Our Love” and 1980’s “Someone That I Used to Love.” In 1987, she released Dangerous, which sold over two million copies in the U.S. and garnered her three hit singles: “Jump Start,” “I Live For Your Love” and a remake of Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac.”

In 1991 Natalie Cole took a bold leap that would change her life and career forever. Already a highly successful R&B artist, she amazed everyone when she recorded Unforgettable…With Love, an album of standards from the American Songbook that included a duet with her late father—Nat King Cole—on the title track. The album spent five weeks at #1 on the pop charts, earned six Grammy® awards (including Song, Record and Album of the Year) and sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.

Natalie Cole - Straighten Up and Fly Right (preview)

Cole released Take A Look which won Cole a GRAMMY in 1993 for Best Jazz Vocal Performance and Stardust in 1996 which won her a GRAMMY for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Cole followed this up with the release of Snowfall on the Sahara in 1999 and Ask a Woman Who Knows in 2002 which awarded her the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist. 2006 saw the release of Leavin’ a cover album of popular tracks which garnered her a GRAMMY nomination for Aretha Franklin’s “Daydreaming”

As an actress, she starred in director Delbert Mann's "Lily in Winter" and co-starred with Laurence Fishburn and Cicely Tyson in Walter Mosley's "Always Outnumbered." She played herself in "Livin' For Love: The Natalie Cole Story," the biopic of her life, which aired on NBC. Natalie has made more than 300 major television appearances, from dramas like "Law and Order" and "Touched by an Angel" to talk shows with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Larry King.

Cole’s latest album Still Unforgettable was released on September 9, 2008 garnering her two more GRAMMY awards for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Accompanying Vocalist. It also earned Cole a NAACP Award for Best Jazz Artist. During the recording of this album Cole was diagnosed with Hepatitis C during a routine examination, likely the result of her drug use many decades ago, which she fully revealed and documented in her autobiography “Angel On My Shoulder” (2000). She began to undergo an extensive chemotherapy treatment for the disease, which the side effects for paired with the strenuous promotional schedule in support of Still Unforgettable, led to her being rushed to a New York hospital Shortly after her hospitalization, Cole began receiving dialysis, three times a week, for her failing kidneys, her future now uncertain without a kidney transplant. In May of 2009 Natalie Cole underwent kidney transplant surgery in Los Angeles the result of a deceased organ donor through the regional organ procurement agency, One Legacy.

November 2010 saw the release of Natalie Cole’s memoir “Love Brought Me Back” a story of loss and recovery, sorrow and joy, success and despair and, finally, success again.. This is a story of sisters, Natalie and Cooke, who throughout Natalie's illness was one of her biggest supporters and also of the sisters who made the transplant possible, Patty and Jessica. It was Jessica's death that gave new life to Natalie, even as Natalie experienced the devastating loss of Cooke. Patty, too, suffered her own terrible loss, but when she met Natalie, she found that her sister's spirit still lived. Through the gift of life, Natalie and Patty became sisters in spirit.

Natalie Cole signed on as the spokesperson for the University Kidney Research Organization. UKRO is a Los Angeles based nonprofit organization supporting medical research related to the prevention, treatment, and eradication of all form of kidney disease.

Most recently Natalie performed at the Tune In to Hep C benefit concert in New York, raising more than $250,000 to support testing, awareness programs, and services for people with chronic HCV infection. The proceeds will be provided to the American Liver Foundation (ALF) and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR). The concert was part of Tune In to Hep C, an awareness campaign to drive awareness of this silent and progressive disease, and encourage people to talk to their doctors or healthcare providers about their options.

To learn more about the awareness campaign, please visit: ~www.tuneIntoHepC.com

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Track preview above (Straighten Up and Fly Right) is from the album:

"Natalie Cole - Unforgettable With Love (Rhino/Elektra)"

Details & Buy: ~amazon.com

Mrs. Natalie Cole's official website: ~www.nataliecole.com