Roots of Nat King Cole

The Williams Brothers featuring Andy Williams were a singing quartet formed in the mid-1930s. They initially entertained on radio stations and later appeared in four musical films in the 1940s. After recording with Bing Crosby led to a nightclub act backing Kay Thompson, they broke up in the early 1950s and went their separate ways. Sometimes referred to the second generation, twins Andrew and David began as teen idols and a musical duo in the 1970s, performing extensively on radio, television, and in movies and nightclubs.

John Alfred Mandel was an American composer, multi-instrumentalist, and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur and Shirley Horn. He won five Grammy Awards, from 17 total nominations; his first nomination was for his debut film score for the multi-nominated 1958 film I Want to Live!. In 2011, he was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Leroy Carr was an American blues singer, songwriter and pianist who developed a laid-back, crooning technique and whose popularity and style influenced such artists as Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. Music historian Elijah Wald has called him "the most influential male blues singer and songwriter of the first half of the 20th century". He first became famous for "How Long, How Long Blues", his debut recording released by Vocalion Records in 1928.

William Everett Strange was an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist, and actor. He began as a session musician with the Wrecking Crew, a famous session band of the 1960s and 1970s, and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum as a member of that ensemble in 2007.