Gonella was born in Islington, North London, where he attended St Mary's Guardian School, an institution for underprivileged children, where he started playing cornet.

Beginning in 1928, Gonella spent a year in Bob Bryden's Louisville Band before working with Archie Alexander and Billy Cotton.

[1] He made uncredited appearances with Lew Stone and Al Bowlly in the films Bitter Sweet and The King's Cup.

He joined the army in 1941, and was recruited into the Stars in Battledress campaign, touring allied camps in Europe and North Africa.

[unpublished diary John Robson Edwards] Whilst in Europe and North Africa Gonella served as the personal servant or "batman" to Major Alexander Karet and once the war had ended was offered the position as personal Butler to the Major, but he politely declined the offer, so that he could be free to pursue his musical career.

He flirted briefly with bebop, acknowledged that it was not for him, and returned to the variety stage during the 1950s, touring with the likes of the comedian Max Miller.

On 22nd February 1960 he featured on the UK television show This Is Your Life,[2] an appearance which later inspired an album The Nat Gonella Story, modelled on Louis Armstrong's A Musical Autobiography.