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.
Downhearted Blues
Cab Calloway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When that someone don't love you;
I'm so disgusted, heart-broken, too
I've got those down-hearted blues.
I was crazy 'bout a gal,
She mistreated me all the time,
Next gal I get, she's got to promise to
'Cause she mistreated me,
And she drove me from her door;
Yes, she mistreated me,
She drove me from her door,
But the Good Book says,
She'll reap just what she'll sow.
I ain't never loved but three women in all my life,
I never loved but three women in all my life,
That was my mother, my sister, and the gal that wrecked my life.
[Heavily scatted]
All the dirt you done to me
Is bound to come back to you.
The lyrics of Cab Calloway's song "Downhearted Blues" express the deep feelings of heartbreak and disgust that come from loving someone who doesn't return those feelings. Calloway captures the pain and frustration of unrequited love in the opening lines: "Gee, but it's hard to love someone / When that someone don't love you."
The lyrics highlight the singer's experience of being mistreated by a woman he was deeply infatuated with. He declares his intentions for the next woman he falls for, insisting that she must promise to love him back emphatically: "Next gal I get, she's got to promise to / Be mine, all mine."
The song takes a defiant turn towards the end, as the singer expresses his faith in karma and affirms his belief that the woman who has wronged him will receive her just deserts. The song is full of raw emotion and showcases Calloway's powerful voice and dynamic scatting abilities, making it a classic example of 20th-century blues music.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, but it's hard to love someone
It is difficult to love someone.
When that someone don't love you;
When that person does not love you back.
I'm so disgusted, heart-broken, too
I am feeling disgusted and heartbroken as well.
I've got those down-hearted blues.
I am experiencing a feeling of sadness and dejection.
I was crazy 'bout a gal,
I was deeply in love with a woman.
She mistreated me all the time,
She would mistreat me repeatedly.
Next gal I get, she's got to promise to
The next woman I fall in love with must promise to...
Be mine, all mine.
Promise to be mine and only mine.
'Cause she mistreated me,
Because she treated me poorly,
And she drove me from her door;
And she kicked me out of her life.
Yes, she mistreated me,
Indeed, she did me wrong,
She drove me from her door,
And that's why I am no longer welcome in her life.
But the Good Book says,
However, the Bible states,
She'll reap just what she'll sow.
She will suffer the same things she has done to me.
I ain't never loved but three women in all my life,
I have only ever loved three women in my entire life.
I never loved but three women in all my life,
My love has only been reserved for a select few.
That was my mother, my sister, and the gal that wrecked my life.
The three women I have loved were my family and the one who caused me pain.
[Heavily scatted]
Unintelligible vocal improvisation and interpretation of the instruments.
All the dirt you done to me
All the wrong things you have done to me
Is bound to come back to you.
Will eventually come back to haunt you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOVIE AUSTIN, ALBERTA HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind