The name “Calloway” was a huge path to success. Before Cab, of course, there was Blanche, the elder sister (born in 1903) who started out with Louis Armstrong before having her own orchestra in 1931. But what few of us know is that Cab had a younger brother who also happened to lead his own orchestra. But to find out more about Elmer Calloway, you have to search and search and search. But don’t try searching at Cab’s house. Read the full story →
Après sa rupture avec Zelma, Cab retourna terminer sa dernière année de lycée, mais échoua finalement. Il maintint son rythme hallucinant entre les clubs de jazz, l’école, le basket et les petits boulots. Mais tout va commencer grâce à Blanche, sa soeur, qui va l'aider à intégrer la revue Plantation Days. Ensuite, tout s'enchaîne relativement rapidement. Read the full story →
En juillet 1941, Cab Calloway reçut les honneurs de la Guilde Custor des Tailleurs en étant désigné comme le plus élégant chef d'orchestre des Etats-Unis (il faut dire qu'à cette époque, les autres pays avaient un peu autre chose à faire qu'à parler chiffon, les treillis étant plus d'actualité !). Cette récompense était logique pour Cab qui, depuis ses tout débuts, avait toujours su conjuguer sens de la scène, entertainment et élégance. Read the full story →
We’ve seen in our last article that Cab Calloway kept himself busy between two seasons. Before its winter return in Miami, the whole troupe will find harvest in the windy city, Chicago, before leaving for South America. This is our final chapter about thie 3 year odyssey with wonderful performers and amazing performances. Read the full story →
Part 2: With Cab Calloway Read the full story →
Recorded in December 1958, this album was supposed to let people discover Cab Calloway’s “stylized vocal” in full stereo, backed by a big band orchestra. It was eventually released in June 1960! The Hi De Ho Blog tries to explain the story of those tracks, neglected by Jazz historians, forgotten by most but which are a lively experience of Cab Calloway’s sound and voice in this era: timeless! Read the full story →