I regard Natalie Cole as a woman of class. She was simply beautiful to me. I captured a younger version of her because I’d never seen that photograph before and vintage photography informs my own fine art.

Now, Natalie caught the music bug early on cause of her parents. Nat King Cole was among the ranks of Frank Sinatra and that crew, so his foot was in the door real good. Her mom was a jazz singer. Therefore, music was obviously in Natalie’s blood but she had no interest in pursuing such a career. She’d gone off to college and earned a Bachelors degree in child psychology. I would say that was spot on for her ’cause her mama came off a little chilly, and that’s me being gentle in word choice. Okay?

You see, Nat King Cole passed away when Natalie was 15. This was real tough on her, being a daddy’s girl and all. Soon as he passed, mom packed everybody up and took off to Massachusetts. Just went from hot to cold, quick! Eventually, Natalie ended up back in California ’cause she got a record deal. They went crazy over Nat’s daughter, so much so that one of the producers took to marrying her. From that marriage, Natalie had her only child, Robert.

Inseparable was her first album release and got her a Grammy for Best New Artist. She got herself a Hollywood star real quick too. I mean, she was doing her thing.

I remember learning all the words to that first album. I was a kid walking around singing I Got Love on My Mind. Knew every word but was struggling with subtraction!

The thing I liked about Natalie was that she carried herself with such grace. Her mom was big on being prim and proper. Oh, she suffered a few bumps and bruises but don’t we all. She simply came off as a humble spirit with all the awards and doors that were open for her.

It was something special to see the duet with her father. Unforgettable is a beautiful merging of quality sound and love between a father and daughter that will last through the ages.

You did your daddy proud, Natalie. Rest in Eternal Love.