In April 1956, African American singer and pianist Nat King Cole was knocked down by a group of white men while he was performing before an all-white audience in Birmingham, Alabama. Before the attack, a drunk man near the front row jeered “Negro, go home.”

A singer, jazz pianist, and actor, Nat King Cole had more than 100 hit songs on pop charts. He also acted in films, on television and Broadway and was the first African-American man to host an American television series.

Nat King Cole was also the father of singer-songwriter Natalie Cole.

Source: Wikipedia