Cab Calloway

Birth

Dec 25, 1907

Cab Calloway was born on December 25th, 1907 in Rochester, New York. He's a Christmas baby :)

Cabell Calloway III

Dec 25, 1908

His full name is Cabell Calloway III

Horse Races

Apr 17, 1913

Ever since he was little, Cab loved going to horse races and betting on the horses

Family Background

Dec 25, 1915

His father, Cabell Calloway II, worked as a lawyer and was in real estate.His mother, Martha, was a teacher and a church organist. His sister, Blanche, was also a jazz singer, bandleader, and composer. She was a jazz singer before Cab and she helped him start his career in jazz.

Singing Lessons

Dec 17, 1922

Cab's mother arranged for him to begin singing lessons with Ruth Macabee who was a family friend when he was 15. He has loved singing all his life, but this helped him perfect it. His mother and Ruth banned him from singing and listening to jazz, but that didnt work so well, did it?

Education

Dec 25, 1927

Cab graduated from Frederick Douglas High School in 1927. He began college at Crane College (now Malcolm X College), but never finished because he dropped out to continue his music career.

Collaborations

Dec 22, 1928

Calloway collaborated with many jazz musicians. In 1928 he shared the stage with Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines at the Sunset Cafe. He became the leader of the Alabamians in 1929. Dizzy Gillespie joined Calloway's orchestra in 1939. In 1977, Cab had his first of many public performances with his grandson C. Calloway Brooks

Major work

Dec 22, 1931

His most major work was Minnie the Moocher which he wrote in 1931

Paramount Pictures

Dec 22, 1933

In 1933 Cab was featured in many short films by Paramount Pictures. From 1956- 1973 Calloway stared in many films, including: St. Louis Blues, The Cincinnati Kid, and Hello Dolly. In 1978 he was in three episodes of Sesame Street.

Defining Moments

Dec 25, 1939

His most defining moment would be when he landed a steady gig with Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines at the Sunset Cafe in 1939. This was Calloway's big start

Biggest struggle

Dec 17, 1950

Cab's biggest struggle was that his parents forbid him from listening to and singing jazz because it was not fully accepted yet.

Influences - People

Dec 25, 1960

Cab was heavely influenced by Louis Armstrong, who he met and had a steady gig with when he was 21. When he was 17 he met Chick Webb and Johnny Jones and played with them. Calloway 's orchestra was joined by Dizzy Gillepsie in 1939.

Personality and Character

Dec 22, 1965

He was funny and nice and was always happy. He loved to laugh and make people laugh. He was always well dressed.

Quote from Cab Calloway

Dec 22, 1970

"My audience was my life. What I did and how I did it, was all for my audience."

His influence on Jazz

Dec 22, 1989

Cab Calloway's Cotton Club Orchestra was the first African American jazz band to tour the south. He wrote "Cab Calloway’s Hepster Dictionary: The Language of Jive" to help uneducate African American's to be able to speak in jive.

The death of Cab Calloway

Nov 18, 1994

Cab Calloway died at the age of 86 on Nov. 18th, 1994 in a nursing home in Hockessin, Delaware because of a stroke he had in June of that year

International Jazz Hall of Fame

Dec 22, 1995

Cab calloway was entered into the international jazz hall of fame in 1995, the year after he died

Current

Dec 22, 2000

Cab's grandson, C. Calloway Brooks is currently running the cab calloway orchestra