"That Ain't Right" was the 1942 debut single by The King Cole Trio. It was written by

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

and publisher, lyricist, and promotor

Irving Mills Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 18, 1894 Odessa, Ukraine – April 21, 1985) was a music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz promoter. He often used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose. Personal life Mills ...

. "That Ain't Right" hit number one on ''Billboard'' magazine's

Harlem Hit Parade The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart for one week. Although the song was the King Cole Trio's first successful single, it would be their final release for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, as the contract with the company expired before "That Ain't Right" became a hit.

Cover versions

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...

recorded a version of the song and included it on his album '' Rockin''' in 1957.

In popular culture

The song is featured in the musical film '' Stormy Weather'' (1943), sung by Ada Brown and

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...

."That Ain't Right"
sung by Ada Brown and Fats Waller in ''Stormy Weather'' (1943), online video''Stormy Weather''
from Soundtrack Factory, song list at AllMusic.com

References

1942 songs 1942 debut singles Mildred Bailey songs Songs written by Nat King Cole Nat King Cole songs {{1940s-song-stub, Song in Popular Culture=The song is featured in the Broadway Revue, Ain't Misbahavin' (1978), which celebrated the music of Fats Waller. An original cast recording was released by RCA Victor.