After Dinner Speakers: Natalie Cole, Adzido, Ros Gardner

b. 6 February 1950, Los Angeles, California, USA. The daughter of celebrated singer/pianist Nat "King" Cole, Natalie survived early pressures to emulate her father's laid-back singing style. Signed to Capitol Records in 1975, her debut release, "This Will Be", was a US Top 10 hit and the first of three consecutive number 1 soul singles. This early success was continued with "I've Got Love On My Mind" and "Our Love" (both 1977), which continued the astute, sculpted R&B style forged by producers Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey, who, like herself, attended Jerry Butler's Writers Workshop. Yancey and Cole later married. Cole's work continued to enjoy plaudits, and although it lacked the intensity of several contemporaries, there was no denying its quality and craft. She maintained her popularity into the 80s but an increasing drug dependency took a professional and personal toll. Her marriage ended in divorce, but in May 1984, the singer emerged from a rehabilitation centre. Now cured, Cole picked up the pieces of her career, and a 1987 album, Everlasting, provided three hit singles, "Jump Start", "I Live For Your Love" and "Pink Cadillac", the latter reaching number 5 in the UK and US pop charts. This Bruce Springsteen song was uncovered from the b-side of "Dancing In The Dark". Further pop hits followed with "Miss You Like Crazy" and "Wild Women Do", the latter taken from the soundtrack of the movie Pretty Woman. In 1991, she recorded a unique tribute to her late father - a "duet" with him on his original recording of the song "Unforgettable". The song took on a moving significance, with the daughter perfectly accompanying her deceased father's voice. The single's promotional video featured vintage black-and-white footage of Nat "King" Cole at his peak on his US television show, interspersed with colour clips of Natalie. The accompanying album on Elektra Records later won seven Grammy Awards, including best album and song the following year. Unforgettable ... With Love marked a stylistic turning point in Cole's career, with the singer moving away from the urban contemporary market and embracing the smooth jazz-pop sound of her father on subsequent albums. Take A Look included a superb cover version of the standard "Cry Me A River", while her Christmas albums Holly & Ivy and The Magic Of Christmas brought new life to some old chestnuts. Her revealing autobiography was published in November 2000.