Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole is a soundtrack album released in the UK in 1983 by the CBS Records division of Columbia in conjunction with the broadcast of American pop singer Johnny Mathis's BBC television concert special of the same name that featured Cole's daughter Natalie. The front of the original album jacket credits the concert performers as "Johnny Mathis and Natalie Cole", whereas the CD booklet reads, "Johnny Mathis with special guest Natalie Cole".(1983) Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. London: CBS Records 10042.

The LP entered the UK album chart on September 17, 1983, and reached number five over the course of 16 weeks, and the following month, on October 31, the British Phonographic Industry awarded the album with Gold certification for sales of 100,000 units in the UK.

In the liner notes on the original album sleeve Natalie Cole writes, "It was an honor to work with an artist of the stature of Johnny Mathis, one of the few artists in the world whom I feel can do justice to my father's music."

Track listing From the liner notes for the original album:

"Unforgettable" (instrumental)/"Sweet Lorraine" (Irving Gordon/Cliff Burwell, Mitchell Parish) – 3:12 Ronnie Hazlehurst – arranger "Nature Boy" (Eden Ahbez) – 3:27 Neil Richardson – arranger "Orange Colored Sky" (Milton DeLugg, Willie Stein) – 2:11 Allyn Ferguson – arranger "Too Young" (Sylvia Dee, Sidney Lippman) – 3:19 D'Arneill Pershing – arranger Medley – 5:50 a. "Route 66" (Bobby Troup) b. "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" (Deek Watson, William Best) c. "Red Sails in the Sunset" (Hugh Williams, Jimmy Kennedy) d. "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" (Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk) e. "It's Only a Paper Moon" (Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg, Billy Rose) Ronnie Hazlehurst – arranger "Stardust" (Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish) – 3:24 Brian Rogers – arranger (original arrangement by Gordon Jenkins) "Unforgettable" (instrumental) (Irving Gordon) – 0:12 Ronnie Hazlehurst – arranger Medley (solo performance by Natalie Cole) – 6:20 a. "Straighten Up and Fly Right" (Nat King Cole, Irving Mills) b. "Mona Lisa" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) c. "L-O-V-E" (Milt Gabler, Bert Kaempfert) d. "Dance, Ballerina, Dance" a.k.a. "Ballerina" (Bob Russell, Carl Sigman) e. "Ramblin' Rose" (Joe Sherman, Noel Sherman) f. "The Christmas Song" (Bob Wells, Mel Torme) Joe Guercio – arranger "To the Ends of the Earth" (Joe Sherman, Noel Sherman) – 3:27 D'Arneill Pershing – arranger "That Sunday, That Summer" (Joe Sherman, George David Weiss) – 3:22 Ronnie Hazlehurst – arranger (original arrangement by Ralph Carmichael) Medley (performed with Natalie Cole) – 5:42 a. "Let There Be Love" (Ian Grant, Lionel Rand) b. "When I Fall in Love" (Edward Heyman, Victor Young) Neil Richardson – arranger (original arrangement of "Let There Be Love" by Ralph Carmichael and George Shearing) "Unforgettable" (Irving Gordon) – 4:05 Allyn Ferguson – arranger

Personnel From the liner notes for the original album:

Performers

Johnny Mathis – vocals Natalie Cole – vocals ("The Christmas Song", "Dance, Ballerina, Dance", "Let There Be Love", " L-O-V-E", "Mona Lisa", "Ramblin' Rose", "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "When I Fall in Love") Levine Andrade – strings Michael Bach – bass Kenny Baker – trumpet Norris Bosworth – strings Robin Firman – strings John Franca – strings Hans Geiger – strings Bill Geldard – brass John Graham – strings Chris Green – strings John Huckridge – brass Maurice Isaacs – strings Homi Kanga – strings Gary Kettel – percussion Bobby Lamb – trombone Laurie Lewis – strings Joe Lizama – drums Eddie Mordue – saxophone Thelma Owen – harp Bill Reid – strings Cyril Reuben – brass George Robertson – strings Gil Rogers – guitar Jack Rothstein – strings (leader) Celia Sheen – strings Bill Skeat – brass Wally Smith – brass Hubert Staar – brass Larry Steelman – keyboards Derek Watkins – trumpet John Willison – strings Peter Willison – strings Roy Willox – brass Manny Winter – brass

Production Jim Ganduglia – musical director Yvonne Littlewood – television producer Len Shorey – television sound supervisor Hugh Attwooll – mixer Mike Ross – mixer Rob O'Connor (Stylo Rouge) – sleeve design Viv Mabon – illustration David Vance – photographer Mixed at CBS Studios, London

References

Bibliography