Maria Cole, originally Marie Ellington, was a jazz vocalist and wife of the late Nat King Cole. The two met while playing at Zanzibar, and became a couple shortly thereafter. Cole (Ellington at the time) had been touring with Duke Ellington's band (no relation). After marrying Nat King Cole, she released one self-titled solo album, in 1960, as Maria Cole. She retired to focus on her family, deciding that the constant touring associated with being a musician wasn't for her.

For a brief period after Nat's passing in 1965, Maria returned to actively recording music. She released one more LP, Love Is A Special Feeling, on Capitol Records in 1966. Her later years were spent mostly with her family, and she actively participated in many projects dedicated to her late husband. She features very heavily in the documentary Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark, primarily dealing with his time as the first black man to host a television program. Maria passed away from cancer in 2012, with the documentary being released two years later. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.