Released in collaboration with the Nat King Cole Estate, "Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943)" is the first large-scale collection of key early recordings. For many tracks, this is the first official release. This definitive 7CD and limited edition 10LP collection draws on a wide variety of sources, including many newly discovered tracks found for the first time in archives around the world (for example, "Trompin" (release only for jukeboxes for Cinematone, 1939) ), "What'cha Know Joe" (undocumented radio performance, 1940 - now the earliest known recording of Nat "on the air"), "The Romany Room is Jumpin" (private recording, 1941), and "Beautiful Moons Ago" (longer alternate version, 1943).

The sessions were made by Nat at age 17, playing piano in his brother's band in 1936. The first King Cole Trio recordings of 1938, made only for radio broadcasts, more radio recordings, the Ammor Records session (spring 1940 - the first commercial releases for the trio), the Decca Recordings (1940- 41), the small-label sessions for Excelsior and Premier labels (1943), many previously uncirculated Armed Forces radio performances and, with producer Norman Granz at the helm, early jazz sessions with Lester Young (historic: Norman Granz first session as producer) and Dexter Gordon, originally released on Philo and Mercury released respectively.

An extensive 60-page booklet with rare photos, essays by noted author Will Friedwald and guitarist Nick Rossi (with special emphasis on Oscar Moore), interviews and testimonials from Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, John Pizzarelli, Freddy Cole, Michael Feinstein and many others round out "Hittin' the Ramp."
This release features new remastering from the original discs gathered for this set from a number of personal collections and from the archives of the University of California - Santa Barbara, Rutgers University's Institute of Jazz Studies, CU Boulder American Music, research centers and the Library of Congress.

This extensively featured multi-disc box set about the artist's early years is being released in celebration of his 100th birthday. It traces the genesis of a great artist and his career. His distinctive style remains world-famous to this day.