...while several books have been written about Cole, none has come close to filling the bill. Now, however, we have the book we need, Will Friedwald’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right: The Life and Music of Nat King Cole.” Mr. Friedwald, who writes about music and popular culture for the Journal, is the author of several much-admired books about jazz and pop singers, and he has gone to endless trouble to pin down the facts about Cole’s life and work. While his prose occasionally runs to the slapdash, Mr. Friedwald knows everything there is to know about his subject and presents it in a readable fashion, and his biography will be the last word about Nat King Cole for many years to come.
Terry Teachout calls the book “unforgettable” in today’s review in the Wall Street Journal.
Straighten Up and Fly Right: The Life and Music of Nat King Cole is published by Oxford University Press.
Will Friedwald writes about music and popular culture for The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Playboy magazine and other publications (and reviews current shows for Citiview). He also is the author of nine books including the award-winning A Biographical Guide To The Great Jazz And Pop Singers; The Great Jazz And Pop Vocal Albums; Sinatra: The Song Is You, A Singer’s Art; Stardust Melodies: A Biography of Twelve of America’s Most Popular Songs; Tony Bennett: The Good Life; Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies; and Jazz Singing. He has written over 600 liner notes for compact discs, received ten Grammy nominations, and appears frequently on television and other documentaries. He is also a consultant and curator for Apple Music.