Nat King Cole, born Nathaniel Adams Cole was born March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama. He was a well-known Negro musician who lived in the Los Angles area and at one time was reported to be associated with members of the Communist Party. It was also alleged that he was a Communist Party member. He had problems with the Internal Revenue Service who seized his home for back payment of taxes. He was later able to recover the home. In 1956, Cole was attacked in Birmingham, Alabama, and four men were arrested, fined, and sentenced to jail. In 1957, strip hotels in Las Vegas began renting rooms to blacks, and entertainers, including Nat King Cole, were allowed to stay in the hotels when they were performing on stage.
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