At the tender age of 22, Cole Rumbough doesn’t have a lot of stories to tell yet, but he has one heck of a back story.
The jazz singer, who will play Le Cirque Café on Nov. 20, is the grandson of actress Dina Merrill and the great-grandson of Marjorie Merriweather Post, who was the wife of E.F. Hutton who built Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach (that estate is now a private club owned by Donald Trump). Cole is also a descendant of F.W. Woolworth and the Colgate in Colgate-Palmolive.
“He’s the truest American royalty,” gushed one fan. “Imagine! Four great brands in one family.”
Rumbough told me he started singing jazz at the age of 12, inspired by hearing a family friend, the cabaret songstress Christine Andreas, perform. He loves the songs of Gershwin, Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart.
He’s also working with the New York City Mission Society, which his family has supported since it was founded in 1812.
“I’m the seventh generation in this charity,” Rumbough said. “I believe in family tradition.”