Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the United States' most popular big bands, Cab Calloway and his Orchestra, from the start of the 1930s through to the late 1940s. Calloway's band featured performers including trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Doc Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Chu Berry, New Orleans guitar ace Danny Barker and bassist Milt Hinton. Calloway continued to perform until his death in 1994 at the age of 86.
Calloway was born to a middle-class family in Rochester, New York, and lived there until 1918. He later lived in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Cabell Calloway II, was a lawyer, and his mother, Martha Eulalia Reed, was a teacher and church organist. His parents recognised their son's musical talent, and he began private voice lessons in 1922. He continued to study music and voice throughout his formal schooling. Despite his parents' and vocal teachers' disapproval of jazz, Calloway began frequenting and eventually performing in many of Baltimore's jazz clubs, where he was mentored by drummer Chick Webb and pianist Johnny Jones.
After graduating from high school, Calloway joined his older sister, Blanche, in a touring production of the popular black musical revue Plantation Days (Blanche Calloway herself went on to become an accomplished bandleader before her brother did, and he often credited his inspiration to enter show business to her). Calloway attended Lincoln University, Pennsylvania , and left in 1930 without graduating.
When the tour ended in Chicago in the autumn, Cab decided to remain in Chicago with his sister, who had an established career as a jazz singer in that city. His parents had hopes of their son becoming a lawyer like his father, so Calloway enrolled in Crane College. His main interest, however, was in singing and entertaining, and he spent most of his nights at the Dreamland Cafe, the Sunset Cafe, and the Club Berlin, performing as a drummer, singer, and emcee. At the Sunset Cafe he met and performed with Louis Armstrong who taught him to sing in the scat style.
The Cotton Club was the premier jazz venue in the country, and Cab Calloway and his Orchestra (he had taken over a brilliant but failing band called "The Missourians" in 1930) were hired as a replacement for the Duke Ellington Orchestra while they were touring. Calloway quickly proved so popular that his band became the co-house band with Ellington's, and he and his group began touring nationwide when not playing at the Cotton Club. Their popularity was greatly enhanced by the twice-weekly live national radio broadcasts on NBC at the Cotton Club. Calloway also appeared on Walter Winchell's radio program and with Bing Crosby in his show at the Paramount Theatre. As a result of these appearances, Calloway, together with Ellington, broke the major broadcast network colour barrier.
Unlike many other bands of comparable commercial success, Calloway's gave ample soloing space to its lead members, and, through the varied arrangements of Walter 'Foots' Thomas, provided much more in the way of musical interest.
In 1931, he recorded his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher". That song, together with "St James Infirmary Blues" and "The Old Man of the Mountain", were performed for the Betty Boop animated shorts Minnie the Moocher, Snow White, and The Old Man of the Mountain respectively. Through rotoscoping, Cab not only gave his voice to these cartoons but his dance steps as well. Cab took advantage of this and timed his concerts in some communities with the release of the films in order to make the most of the attention. As a result of the success of "Minnie the Moocher" he became identified with its chorus, gaining the nickname "The Hi De Ho Man". He also performed in a series of short films for Paramount in the 1930s (Calloway and Ellington were featured on film more than any other Jazz Orchestra of the era). In 1943 he appeared in the high-profile 20th Century Fox musical film, Stormy Weather.
In his later career, Calloway became a popular personality, appearing in a number of films and stage productions that utilised both his acting and singing talents. In 1952, he played the prominent role of Sportin' Life in a production of the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess. Another notable role was Yeller in The Cincinnati Kid (1965). In 1967 Calloway co-starred as Horace Vandergelder in an all-black revival of Hello, Dolly! (even though the original production was still running) starring Pearl Bailey. This was a major success, and led to a cast recording released by RCA. In 1973-1974 he was featured in an unsuccessful Broadway revival of The Pajama Game.
Calloway attracted renewed interest in 1980 when he appeared as a supporting character in the film The Blues Brothers, performing "Minnie the Moocher", and again when he sang "The Jumpin' Jive" with the Two-Headed Monster on Sesame Street. This was also the year in which the cult film Forbidden Zone was released, which included rearrangements and parodies of Cab Calloway songs written by Danny Elfman, a Calloway fan.
On 18th November 1994 Calloway died, having suffered a major stroke six months earlier. In 1998, The Cab Calloway Orchestra (directed by Cab's grandson C. "CB" Calloway Brooks) was formed to honour Cab Calloway's legacy nationally and internationally.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Cab Calloway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I hate to lose you,
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea.
I forgive you,
Cause I can't forget you,
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea.
But when you come knocking at my door,
Fate seems to give my heart a twist,
And I come running back for more.
I should hate you,
But I guess I love you,
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
The lyrics to Cab Calloway's song Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea are about a person who is torn between two choices, both of which have negative consequences. The first line states that the singer doesn't want the other person, but they hate the idea of losing them. This is a classic example of the struggle between love and fear of abandonment. Next, the singer forgives the other person because they cannot forget them, expressing the difficulty of letting go even when someone has wronged us.
The chorus highlights the conflict and feeling of being stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. The phrase "the devil and the deep blue sea" is an idiom that refers to being caught between two equally unpromising and difficult options. The singer acknowledges that they should cross this person off their list, but fate seems to twist their heart, and they come back for more. The final line of the chorus emphasizes the complicated nature of the singer's emotions towards the other person, as they should hate them, but instead, they love them. Overall, this song explores the complex emotions that come with being caught between contradictory desires and choices.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want you
I don't have a desire for you
But I hate to lose you
But I don't want to lose the comfort you provide
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea.
I'm at a crossroads where each option will cause suffering or discomfort.
I forgive you
I pardon you
Cause I can't forget you
Because I'm not able to stop thinking of you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea.
I'm at a point where each choice has an undesirable outcome.
I ought to cross you off my list
I should remove you from my thoughts
But when you come knocking at my door
But when you show up in my life again
Fate seems to give my heart a twist
Destiny causes my emotions to shift and change
And I come running back for more.
And I return to you once again
I should hate you
I should have animosity towards you
But I guess I love you,
But I suppose I still feel affection towards you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea.
I'm in a difficult position where there are no easy solutions.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, S.A. MUSIC
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, TED KOEHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CapAnson12345
It's a shame many people only know Calloway from Minnie the Moocher and the Blues Brothers.. his vocal talent was truly astounding.
@oliverbender3764
Well, I heard him playing on the radio and shortly thereafter saw a short video from him when he appeared on CBC. I never heard about “Minnie the Moocher” or knew that he played with the Blues Brothers.
@donkeykongisbetterthanmari7495
and BioShock
@kfl611
I like to watch him dance too ! He always seems so full of energy.
@musicformonsters
An astounding singer .. and entertainer in general - love the arrangements too- wish they had the video for this one
@zooweemama3835
@@donkeykongisbetterthanmari7495Bioshock introduced me to old music. Now I have long Playlists of old music and jazz. Jazz has become my second favorite genre after space rock and psychedelic music.
@MegaSean45
This song sounds like something you would hear, like if you're sneaking somewhere, not trying to get attention, but you accidentally hit the record player while sneaking, and then this song comes on, and the guard's like, "HEY, YOU!"
@michaelinelegant1289
Haha random but accurate 😆
@TheJackster-tl8oi
What a very specific situation, but I guess I understand 😂
@garland522
Wonderful song, wonderful man, total talent. Thank you for this