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.
How Come You Do Me Like You Do?
Cab Calloway Lyrics
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How come you do me like you do?
Why do you try to make me feel so blue?
I've done nothing to you.
Do me right or else just let me be.
'Cause I can beat you doing what you're doing to me.
How come you do me like you do do do?
How come you do me like you do?
The song "How Come You Do Me Like You Do" by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra speaks of the agony of a man who is confused and hurt by a woman's actions towards him. The song opens with the vocalist asking the woman why she treats him badly, asking repeatedly, "How come you do me like you do do do?" The lyricist accentuates the pain and confusion of the man as he wonders why a woman would try to make him feel sad without any reason, lamenting "Why do you try to make me feel so blue? I've done nothing to you."
The man expresses his frustration and disappointment towards the woman in the next line, insisting that she should either do him right or leave him be. He makes a veiled threat, assuring her that he can turn the tables on her by treating her the way she's treating him. The man concludes the chorus with the same question he started with, "How come you do me like you do do do?" In essence, the song is about a man who is unhappy with the way the woman is treating him, and it seems like no matter what he does, he can't make her change her behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
How come you do me like you do do do?
I'm confused and hurt by the way you treat me.
How come you do me like you do?
Can you explain why you treat me so poorly?
Why do you try to make me feel so blue?
I don't understand why you want me to feel sad all the time.
I've done nothing to you.
I can't think of a reason why you're treating me so badly.
Do me right or else just let me be.
Either treat me with respect or leave me alone entirely.
'Cause I can beat you doing what you're doing to me.
I could treat you just as unfairly as you've been treating me.
How come you do me like you do do do?
I'm still not sure why you're treating me this way.
How come you do me like you do?
Could you please explain your behavior towards me?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gene Austin, Roy Bergere
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trombonology Erstwhile
Swinging! Cab always had a fantastic band.
roybo1930
Cab is just COOL! I LOVE This ERA`s Recordings!
TonyBuemi
Nice horn sequence