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Cab Calloway Jazz Vocalist, Bandleader
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Born
December 25, 1907
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Died
November 18, 1994
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Country
United States of America
A premier Black entertainer of the Harlem Renaissance, Cabell (“Cab”) Calloway’s impressive singing ability and showmanship won him steady gigs at the famous Cotton Club.
Calloway’s lasting influence on popular music stems from his minting and mastery of scat-jive vocals.
His signature style was to improvise nonsensical but incredibly inventive lyrics on the spot, often incorporating snippets of Harlem slang in his monologues and songs.
Some of Calloway’s most popular songs referenced the nitty-gritty of Harlem nightlife and its more fervent characters, such as “Minnie the Moocher” in his 1931 smash hit. In this innovative song, Calloway used a call-and-response technique to bat the phrase “Hi-de-ho” back and forth between the stage and audience.
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The Music of
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Calloway didn’t find acclaim in nightclubs alone. His talent also sparkled in theaters and on the silver screen. In 1929, when Calloway landed a role in Connie’s Hot Chocolates—a musical revue created by the team of Fats Waller and Andy Razaf—he found himself sharing the stage with a young trumpeter named Louis Armstrong. In 1937, he appeared in the revue Manhattan Merry-Go Round with the beloved dance group Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.
Hi-De-Ho, Paramount Pictures, 1934. One of several musical numbers in the movie, “Dawn Time,” is staged in Cab’s apartment as part of an audition for a club owner.
Audiences nationwide would soon witness Calloway’s talents when he toured in George Gershwin’s acclaimed musical Porgy and Bess, playing a fictional character named “Sportin’ Life,” who is thought to have been based on Cab Calloway himself.
 I n t e r s e c t i o n s |
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He played at Savoy Ballroom’s battle of the bands. |
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Calloway and the Missourians played at the Cotton Club for 10 years. |
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He worked in the musical Hot Chocolates at Connie’s Inn. |
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Calloway often played with Bill Robinson. |
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He sang music by Fats Waller in Hot Chocolates. |
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Video Bio
Video Bio
“Jumpin’ Jive” performed by Cab Calloway & Nicholas Brothers in 1943.
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