Bethesda Blues & Jazz Youth Orchestra Fundraiser w/ Freddy Cole at Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club

Though Freddy Cole was born in Chicago, currently he is a 35- year native son and international celebrity of Atlanta. Lionel Frederick Cole was born in Chicago on October 15, 1931, the youngest of Edward and Paulina Nancy Cole's five children. His three elder brothers, Eddie, Ike and Nat (twelve years Freddy's senior) were all musicians. "I started playing piano at five or six," Freddy remembers. "Music was all around me." In the Chicago home of his youth, regular visitors included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billy Eckstein and Lionel Hampton. He also credits Billy Eckstine as a major influence. "He was a fantastic entertainer," Freddy recalls. "I learned so much from just watching and being around him." After a possible career with the NFL was shelved due to a hand injury, he began playing and singing in Chicago clubs as a teenager....

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Though Freddy Cole was born in Chicago, currently he is a 35- year native son and international celebrity of Atlanta. Lionel Frederick Cole was born in Chicago on October 15, 1931, the youngest of Edward and Paulina Nancy Cole's five children. His three elder brothers, Eddie, Ike and Nat (twelve years Freddy's senior) were all musicians. "I started playing piano at five or six," Freddy remembers. "Music was all around me." In the Chicago home of his youth, regular visitors included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billy Eckstein and Lionel Hampton. He also credits Billy Eckstine as a major influence. "He was a fantastic entertainer," Freddy recalls. "I learned so much from just watching and being around him." After a possible career with the NFL was shelved due to a hand injury, he began playing and singing in Chicago clubs as a teenager.
 "Freddy has an impeccable sense of swing... he is, overall, the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive." The New York Times"Gorgeous autumnal baritone, expressive phrasing and pitch-perfect feel for jazz standards, pop tunes and love ballads." People Magazine

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