Lionel Cole is a pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

, music editor, and music supervisor. He has served as a regularly touring member Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

's live band. Cole also partnered with Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Malcolm-Jamal Warner is an American television actor, film director, and musician. He is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Additionally, he appeared as Malcolm McGee on the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie. He is currently starring as Dr...

, to create the jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and funk

Funk

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 band Miles Long. The first album "The Many Facets of Superman" featured En Vogue

En Vogue

En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...

's Cindy Heron and soul icon Teena Marie

Teena Marie

Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...

.

Cole co-wrote the billboard chart topping single "Through the Rain

Through the Rain

"Through the Rain" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her ninth studio album, Charmbracelet . It was written by Carey and Lionel Cole, and produced by the former and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song was released as the album's lead single on October 17, 2002...

" with Mariah Carey which appeared on Carey's ninth studio album Charmbracelet

Charmbracelet

Charmbracelet is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on December 3, 2002 through Island Records and MonarC Entertainment. The album was her first release since facing a breakdown following the release of her film Glitter and its accompanying...

. The song peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and it hit number 1 on the U.S. sales and dance charts. Previously, Cole remixed the million selling cover single Hard To Say I'm Sorry

Hard to Say I'm Sorry

"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is a 1982 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit ballad performed by American rock group Chicago, written by band member Peter Cetera and producer David Foster from the album Chicago 16, released in 1982. The song hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 11...

 by boy band AZ Yet

Az Yet

Az Yet is an American R&B group from Philadelphia, best known for their hit "Last Night" and their cover of the Chicago song "Hard to Say I'm Sorry."-Formation:...

. In 2010, Cole toured with 80's star Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...

. From a storied musical family, he is the son of Freddy Cole

Freddy Cole

Lionel Frederick Cole is an American jazz singer and pianist, whose recording career has spanned over fifty years. He is leader of the Freddy Cole Quartet, which regularly tours the US, Europe, the Far East and South America....

, a Grammy nominated jazz vocalist, the nephew of Nat King Cole

Nat King Cole

Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...

, and the cousin of Natalie Cole

Natalie Cole

Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...

.

Cole's music work extends into film and television, he composed for the Tim Reid

Tim Reid

Timothy L. "Tim" Reid is an American actor, comedian and film director best known for his roles in prime time American television programs, such as Venus Flytrap on WKRP in Cincinnati , Marcel "Downtown" Brown on Simon & Simon , Ray Campbell on Sister, Sister and William Barnett on That 70's Show...

 film Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored

Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored

Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored is a film directed by Tim Reid and the screenplay was written by Paul W. Cooper. The film is based on Clifton Taulbert’s real life and his nonfiction book, Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored. The film plays out Taulbert’s life...

  and the Showtime series Linc's

Linc's

Linc's is an American comedy-drama based in a bar in Washington D.C.. The series starred Steven Williams, Pam Grier and Golden Brooks, and aired on Showtime for two seasons from 1998 to 2000 before being cancelled....