Cab Calloway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cab Calloway
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Calloway by William Gottlieb, 1947
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cabell Calloway III |
| Born | December 25, 1907 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 18, 1994 (aged 86) Hockessin, Delaware, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1927–1994 |
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (born December 25, 1907 – died November 18, 1994) was an amazing American jazz singer and bandleader. He was famous for his energetic performances and unique scat singing style. Cab Calloway led one of the most popular dance bands in the United States for many years.
He was a regular performer at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem, New York. Calloway became a huge star during the swing era. He was known as the "Hi-de-ho" man because of his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher". This song was first recorded in 1931.
Cab Calloway had many hit records in the 1930s and 1940s. He was the first African-American musician to sell one million copies of a record! He also appeared in many films, stage shows, and TV programs. His career saw a big boost after he appeared in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers.
Calloway was the first African-American to have a radio show that was played all across the country. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1993. After his death, he was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. His song "Minnie the Moocher" was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.
Contents
Cab Calloway's Life and Music
Early Life and Musical Start
Cabell Calloway III was born on December 25, 1907, in Rochester, New York. His family was African American. His mother was a teacher and church organist. The family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1919.
Cab grew up in West Baltimore. He often skipped school to earn money. He sold newspapers and shined shoes. He also spent time at the Pimlico racetrack, where he became interested in horse racing.
His mother sent him to a reform school in 1921 after he got into some trouble. When he returned to Baltimore, he worked as a caterer and continued his education. He started taking vocal lessons in 1922. Even though his parents didn't like jazz, he began performing in Baltimore nightclubs. He learned from musicians like Chick Webb and Johnny Jones.
Calloway also played professional basketball with the Baltimore Athenians. He graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in 1925.
Starting a Music Career
In 1927, Cab Calloway joined his older sister, Blanche Calloway, on tour. She was a successful bandleader and inspired him to get into show business. Cab's mother wanted him to become a lawyer, so he enrolled in college in Chicago. But he was much more interested in singing and entertaining.
He spent most nights performing in clubs in Chicago. He sang, played drums, and hosted shows. He met and performed with Louis Armstrong, who taught him how to sing in the scat style. Scat singing is when you use your voice to make sounds and rhythms instead of words.
In 1929, Calloway moved to New York with a band called the Alabamians. Later, he became the singer for another band called the Missourians.
Becoming a Star
In 1930, the Missourians became "Cab Calloway and His Orchestra." They were hired to play at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem, New York, in 1931. They were so popular that they got a permanent spot! The band also performed twice a week on NBC radio.
Calloway became the first African American to have a radio show that was played all over the country. Even during the Great Depression, he was earning a lot of money.
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In 1931, Calloway recorded his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher". It was the first song by an African American to sell a million copies! He performed this song and others in popular Betty Boop cartoons like Minnie the Moocher (1932) and Snow-White (1933). His dance moves were even used to create the characters' movements in the cartoons.
Calloway also appeared in several short films for Paramount. In these films, he performed a gliding dance move that some people say was an early version of Michael Jackson's moonwalk.
His first Hollywood movie was The Singing Kid (1936), where he sang with Al Jolson. The film also featured Calloway's band and dancers from the Cotton Club.
In 1938, Calloway released Cab Calloway's Cat-ologue: A "Hepster's" Dictionary. This was a dictionary of "jive talk," which was a special language used by jazz musicians and fans. It became the official jive language book for the New York Public Library.
Calloway's band in the 1930s and 1940s included many famous musicians. Some of these were Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster, and Milt Hinton. Calloway expected his musicians to play with great skill and precision.
During World War II, Calloway entertained American troops before they went overseas. In 1943, he appeared in the film Stormy Weather. This was one of the first major Hollywood films with an all-black cast. It featured other top performers like Lena Horne and Fats Waller.
In the late 1940s, Calloway faced some financial challenges, and his band eventually broke up.
Later Years and Legacy
Cab Calloway continued to be well-known through TV appearances and concerts. In the early 1960s, he toured with the Harlem Globetrotters, providing entertainment during halftime.
He appeared in the film The Cincinnati Kid (1965) with Steve McQueen. In 1967, he starred on Broadway in the musical Hello, Dolly! with Pearl Bailey. His daughter, Chris Calloway, also joined the cast.
His autobiography, Of Minnie the Moocher and Me, was published in 1976. It included his famous "Hepster's Dictionary." In 1978, he released a disco version of "Minnie the Moocher."
A new generation discovered Cab Calloway when he appeared in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. He performed "Minnie the Moocher" in the movie. He continued to perform at jazz festivals and even made a cameo in Janet Jackson's music video "Alright" in 1990.
Family and Passing
Cab Calloway had a daughter named Camay in 1927. He married his first wife, Wenonah "Betty" Conacher, in 1928. They adopted a daughter named Constance. They divorced in 1949.
Calloway married Zulme "Nuffie" MacNeal in 1949. They had three daughters: Chris, Cecilia, and Cabella.
On June 12, 1994, Calloway had a stroke. He passed away five months later from pneumonia on November 18, 1994, at the age of 86. He was buried in Hartsdale, New York.
Lasting Impact
Music experts say that Cab Calloway influenced many later entertainers. These include James Brown, Michael Jackson, and modern hip-hop artists. John Landis, who directed Calloway in The Blues Brothers, even said, "Cab Calloway is hip-hop."
In 1998, Calloway's grandson, Chris "CB" Calloway Brooks, formed the Cab Calloway Orchestra to continue his grandfather's musical legacy.
In 2019, there were plans to create a park called Cab Calloway Legends Park where his childhood home in Baltimore once stood. Even though some wanted to save the house as a historical site, it was taken down in 2020.
Awards and Honors
Cab Calloway received many awards and honors throughout his life and after his death:
- 1967: Best Performance, Outer Critics Circle Awards (for Hello, Dolly!)
- 1987: Inducted into Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame
- 1990: Beacons in Jazz Award, The New School (New York City Mayor David Dinkins also declared it "Cab Calloway Day")
- 1992: The Cab Calloway School of the Arts was founded in Wilmington, Delaware, named in his honor.
- 1993: National Medal of Arts
- 1999: Grammy Hall of Fame Award for "Minnie the Moocher"
- 2008: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2019: "Minnie the Moocher" added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry
- 2020: Inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame
Film and Stage Appearances
Films
Cab Calloway appeared in many films, often playing himself or a bandleader:
- The Big Broadcast (1932)
- International House (1933)
- The Singing Kid (1936)
- Stormy Weather (1943)
- Hi De Ho (1947)
- St. Louis Blues (1958)
- The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
- The Blues Brothers (1980)
Stage Shows
He also performed in several Broadway musicals:
- Porgy and Bess (1953) – as Sportin' Life
- Hello, Dolly! (1967) – as Horace Vandergelder
- The Pajama Game (1973–1974) – as Hines
Images for kids
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Calloway by William Gottlieb, 1947 (also in infobox)
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Calloway by Carl Van Vechten, 1933
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One of Cab Calloway's zoot suits on display in Baltimore's City Hall, October 2007
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Calloway's boyhood home in Baltimore, before its demolition in September 2020
See also
In Spanish: Cab Calloway para niños
