In 1953, he formed a profession school for drummers with Gene Krupa in New York City. During the 1950s, he also led The Cozy Cole Combo, appearing regularly at the Metropole in New York. The combo recorded an instrumental featuring Cole on drums called, "Topsy" that sold over a million copies--one of the most popular instrumentals of the rock era.

He continued to tour with Jonah Jones, Cab Calloway, and others until he retired in the mid-1970s