INTERRUPTED MELODY: THE 1956 ATTACK ON NAT "KING" COLE

Alabama Heritage, Winter 2004 by Sprayberry, Gary S

By the fall of 1956, the movement was in full decline-its strength sapped by controversy, petty infighting, and public apathy. Carter's antics and his religious bigotry, along with the NACC's propensity for violence, had forever damaged the "good name" of the White Citizens' Council movement in Alabama. Never again would it muster the kind of forces it had arrayed after the Lucy affair. By the mid-1960s, all that remained of the once sprawling organization were a few diehards and "bitter-enders" who simply refused to accept the inevitable. "Ace killed it," Engelhardt would say years later. "He killed the Council dead."

FLYING OUT OF BIRMINGham the morning after the attack, Nat "King" Cole figured the worst was behind him. The ordeal had wounded both his back and his pride, and he had been forced to cancel upcoming shows in Raleigh and Charlotte, but otherwise the Montgomery native was fine. He had survived. But after landing at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Cole realized his troubles were just beginning.

Stepping off the plane, a swarm of clamorous reporters greeted the entertainer. When one of them asked if he planned to continue to perform in front of segregated audiences, Cole answered without hesitation. "Sure I will," he said. "It's my job to perform for them.... [It's] foolish to think a performer like me can go into a Southern city and demand that audiences be integrated. The Supreme Court is having a hard time integrating schools. What chance do I have to integrate audiences?"

Cole's remarks drew swift reaction. In Harlem, angry fans removed his records from jukeboxes and trampled them in the street. Thurgood Marshall said, "All Cole needs to complete his role as an Uncle Tom is a banjo." The Chicago Defender concluded that "entertainers should stay out of politics and issues if they can't give any better representation for the race than the 'King.'"

The criticism hurt Cole deeply. For years he had battled racism in his own subtle way-bringing lawsuits against hotels for refusing him admittance and contributing funds to civil rights organizations. But all was forgotten in the wake of the attack. His reputation had been clearly damaged by the affair. In the end, the singer backed out of the controversy as best he could by purchasing a lifetime membership in the NAACP and vowing never to step foot in Alabama again.