KWXY Presents ● The Music of Cab Calloway

Portrait of Cab Calloway, New York, N.Y., ca. Jan. 1947 Library of Congress Jazz Collection / William P. Gottlieb, photographer.

Cab Calloway, born Cabell Calloway III on December 25, 1907, was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist of the swing era. His niche of mixing jazz and vaudeville won him acclaim during a career that spanned over 65 years.

Cab Calloway

Portrait of Cab Calloway, New York, N.Y., ca. Jan. 1947 Library of Congress Jazz Collection William P. Gottlieb, photographer.

In 1931, Cab Calloway and His Orchestra were hired to play at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York, to substitute for the Duke Ellington Orchestra while Ellington's band was on tour. The popularity of Cab Calloway and His Orchestra led to a permanent position. The band also performed twice a week for radio broadcasts on NBC, and Calloway appeared on radio programs with Walter Winchell and Bing Crosby. He was the first African American to have a nationally syndicated radio show.

Also in 1931, Calloway recorded his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher." It was the first single record by an African American to sell a million copies, and during the depths of the Great Depression, Cab Calloway was earning $50,000.00 a year at 23 years old. As a result of the success of "Minnie the Moocher", Calloway became identified with its chorus, gaining the nickname "The Hi De Ho Man".

Throughout the 1930s, Calloway performed in a series of short films for Paramount and other studios that were played in movie theaters before feature presentations. Both Cab Calloway's and Duke Ellington's groups were featured in these films more than any other jazz orchestras of the era. In these films, Calloway can be seen performing a gliding backstep dance move, which some observers have described as the precursor to Michael Jackson's moonwalk. Calloway said 50 years later, "it was called The Buzz back then.”

Cab Calloway, New York, N.Y., ca. Jan. 1947 Library of Congress Jazz Collection - William P. Gottlieb, photographer.

In 1978, Calloway released a disco version of "Minnie the Moocher" on RCA which reached the Billboard R&B chart. Calloway was introduced to a new generation when he appeared in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers performing "Minnie the Moocher".

Cab Calloway was inducted into International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award for "Minnie the Moocher" in 1999. He also earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, and his signature song "Minnie the Moocher" was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2019.

KWXY Presents ● “The Music of Cab Calloway” today at 5pm hosted by Louie Comella, on KWXY Music Radio 92.3FM ● 1340AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com