This past St. Patrick’s Day marked what would have been the 90^th birthday of the late singer and pianist Nat “King” Cole.

It is also almost exactly 50 years ago that Cole first performed in Brazil – a milestone event where people were cheering him as he walked on the street, Carol Cole recalled in the Los Angeles Times.

“There was so much affection, it’s hard to describe what it was like,” she said. “It was almost like the entire population of Rio de Janeiro turned out en masse to welcome him and throw roses at his feet. He and my mother were invited to stay at the presidential palace. He was treated like royalty.”

The Cole estate has just helped put together a record where modern artists interpret Cole standards – including Bebel Gilberto, appropriately enough, featured on “Brazilian Love Song.”

“That voice, that style, he was so special, there was no else like him,” Gilberto also told the Times.”He meant so much to people all over the world. I think he meant more to Brazil and Latin America than he did even to his own fans in America.” Gilberto was born in 1966 – the year after Cole’s death from lung cancer – but remembers how struck she was when she saw footage of Cole performing.

“I wanted to know more about him and his music,” she said “He was the sound of America to many people.”