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| Cab Calloway |
 One of the great entertainers, Cab
Calloway was a household name by 1932, and never really declined in
fame. A talented jazz singer and a superior scatter, Calloway''s
gyrations and showmanship on-stage at the Cotton Club sometimes
overshadowed the quality of his always excellent bands. The younger
brother of singer Blanche Calloway
(who made some fine records before retiring in the mid-''30s), Cab grew
up in Baltimore, attended law school briefly, and then quit to try to
make it as a singer and a dancer. For a time, he headed the Alabamians,
but the band was not strong enough to make it in New York. The Missourians,
an excellent group that had previously recorded heated instrumentals
but had fallen upon hard times, worked out much better. Calloway worked
in the 1929 revue Hot Chocolates, started recording in 1930, and in
1931 hit it big with both "Minnie the Moocher" and his regular engagement at the Cotton Club. Calloway was soon (along with Bill Robinson, Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington) the best-known black entertainer of the era. He appeared in quite a few movies (including 1943''s Stormy Weather), and "Minnie the Moocher" was followed by such recordings as "Kicking the Gong Around," "Reefer Man," "Minnie the Moocher''s Wedding Day," "You Gotta Hi-De-Ho," "The Hi-De-Ho Miracle Man," and even "Mister Paganini, Swing for Minnie." Among Calloway''s sidemen through the years (who received among the highest salaries in the business) were Walter "Foots" Thomas, Bennie Payne, Doc Cheatham, Eddie Barefield, Shad Collins, Cozy Cole, Danny Barker, Milt Hinton, Mario Bauza, Chu Berry, Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, Tyree Glenn, Panama Francis, and Ike QuebecRemove Tag. His 1942 recording of "Blues in the Night" was a big hit.With the end of the big band era,
Calloway had to reluctantly break up his orchestra in 1948, although he
continued to perform with his Cab Jivers. Since George Gershwin
had originally modeled the character Sportin'' Life in Porgy and Bess
after Calloway, it was fitting that Cab got to play him in a 1950s
version. Throughout the rest of his career, Calloway made special
appearances for fans who never tired of hearing him sing "Minnie the Moocher." ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
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