Adelita (with Mariachis)

The song "Adelita (with Mariachis)," which is 2 minutes and 10 seconds long, is part of the album *Cole Español* that Nat King Cole released in 1958. This album was one of three Spanish-themed albums Cole recorded, a trend he continued with *A Mis Amigos* in 1959 and *More Cole Español* in 1962. For *Cole Español*, the orchestral music was recorded in Havana, Cuba, with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. Cole then added his vocals in Los Angeles, California, during the month of June, in a production process that bridged two geographies. The album reached number 12 on Billboard magazine’s LP chart, and in 2007, it was honored with induction into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame, highlighting the exploration of Latin sounds that characterize tracks such as “Adelita (with Mariachis).”

To understand this foray into Latin music, it is helpful to trace the career of Nathaniel Adams Coles, better known as Nat “King” Cole. Born in Montgomery in 1919 and died in Santa Monica in 1965, he was a jazz pianist and singer. His musical training began in Chicago, the city to which his family moved when he was a child. There, his mother, Perlina Adams—who played the organ at the Baptist church where his father, Edward Coles, was a minister—was his only piano teacher. Nat learned jazz as well as gospel and classical music. He grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood, a vibrant area known for its nightlife and jazz clubs in the late 1920s. There, he had the opportunity to hear figures such as Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines, the latter being a key inspiration for his own career. In the mid-1930s, while still a teenager, Nat began his musical career, adopting the name Nat Cole. His older brother, Eddie, a bassist, joined his band for their first recording in 1936. The group achieved local success in Chicago, performing regularly at the city’s clubs, where Nat was given the nickname “King.” After a tour as a pianist with Eubie Blake that took him to Long Beach, California, Nat decided to settle in that state, marking the beginning of a new phase in his career.