cole played piano in new york city and los angeles, california when he was a young man. in 1937, he formed a group that played jazz music. oscar moore played the guitar and wesley prince played the bass. the trio reportedly did not need a drummer because cole’s piano playing kept the beat so well. they named the group, the king cole trio. at the same time, cole also changed his name into nat king cole. the trio soon became very popular. nat sang some songs, but mostly played the piano.