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Natalie Cole to star at RI Convention

Eight-time Grammy Award-winning singer Natalie Cole will perform at the 2008 RI Convention in Los Angeles. The renowned artist, daughter of icon Nat "King" Cole, will appear at the new NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE as a part of the "California Experience" event put together by local Rotarians on the Host Organization Committee.

Natalie Cole was born the second of five children on February 6, 1950 to the legendary singer Nat "King" Cole and his wife Maria Cole (who, before her marriage to Nat, was a singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra). Natalie was raised in the elegant Hancock Park district of Los Angeles, California.

Music was a big part of her childhood – different kinds of music that also included jazz and rock. Natalie made her singing debut at the age of six on her Dad’s Christmas album. Nat "King" Cole died of lung cancer when Natalie was 15 years old.

After Nat "King" Cole’s death, Maria Cole and her children eventually moved to Massachusetts. Natalie enrolled at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and she gained her BA degree in child psychology 1972. While she was a university student she continued performing as a singer. She increasingly won more distinctive venues, and she developed her own style, which included the gospel flavor and rhythm-and-blues styles.

Capitol Records, the label with which Nat "King" Cole had recorded, offered Natalie a contract, and in 1975, she made her debut album, Inseparable. Natalie took the music industry by storm. Two hit singles resulted … the songs "Inseparable" and "This Will Be." Natalie earned a gold record and in 1976 she won two Grammy awards.

Since then, despite some serious challenges in her personal life, Natalie has developed into one of the world’s most admired recording artists. In 2000, she released an autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder, which described her battle with drugs during much of her life. Natalie's Greatest Hits Volume I was released on November 14th, 2000.

Natalie’s 20th studio album Leavin’ (2006) showcases her critically acclaimed abilities as a vocalist.  The album also marks her first album of new material in nearly four years, a recording that returns Natalie to her musical roots as one of our time's best R&B/Pop vocalists.