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.
San Francisco Fan
Cab Calloway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Loved a no-good gamblin' man;
She drank the coffee dregs so she could fry his eggs
In a golden fryin' pan.
Can-canned by command,
Of the Gold Rush Cafe clan,
She gave her man her pay; he gambled it away
Once they caught him cheatin'
And he knew that he was beaten,
When a miner aimed a pistol at his head,
Fanny, when she seen 'em,
Ran and jumped right inbetween 'em,
And she stopped a dozen slugs of poison lead.
There was Fanny dyin'
While a hundred men were cryin'
And the angels up above were cryin', too;
When seven horses started draggin'
Fanny's coffin in a wagon
Down a dusty California avenue.
San Francisco Fan
Gave her life to save her man,
A man who wasn't worth a shovelful of earth
From the grave of San Francisco Fan.
San Francisco Fan
Gave her life to save a man,
A man who wasn't worth a shovelful of earth
From the grave of San Francisco Fan.
The lyrics to Cab Calloway's song "San Francisco Fan" tell a tragic story of a woman named Fanny, who loved a no-good gambling man. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of Fanny's hard life, as she betrays her own health by drinking the dregs of her coffee so she can cook her man breakfast in a golden frying pan. Fanny is described as a dancer who performs for the patrons of the Gold Rush Cafe. Fanny gives her man her pay, only to have him gamble it all away playing Chinatown fan-tan.
The situation comes to a head when Fanny's man is caught cheating, and a miner aims a pistol at his head. Fanny jumps between the two men, and takes the bullets aimed at her man. She dies, surrounded by a hundred men and angels, and her coffin is dragged down a dusty California avenue in a wagon pulled by seven horses. The lyrics say that Fanny gave her life to save her man, even though he wasn't worth a shovelful of earth from her grave.
The song is a heartbreaking tale of love and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of San Francisco's wild west days. It highlights the harsh realities facing women at the time, particularly those who depended on men for their livelihoods. The story of Fanny's sacrifice also speaks to the dangers of gambling and the consequences that can come from associating with the wrong crowd.
Line by Line Meaning
San Francisco Fan
Loved a no-good gamblin' man;
She drank the coffee dregs so she could fry his eggs
In a golden fryin' pan.
San Francisco Fan loved a man who was no good, and she would drink the leftover coffee to have something to cook his eggs in. She used a golden frying pan for this man, who did not deserve her love.
Can-canned by command,
Of the Gold Rush Cafe clan,
She gave her man her pay; he gambled it away
Playing Chinatown fan-tan.
San Francisco Fan was made to dance constantly for the patrons of the Gold Rush Cafe. She gave all her money to her man, who squandered it by gambling in Chinatown.
Once they caught him cheatin'
And he knew that he was beaten,
When a miner aimed a pistol at his head,
Fanny, when she seen 'em,
Ran and jumped right inbetween 'em,
And she stopped a dozen slugs of poison lead.
One day, when her man was caught cheating at a game, a miner aimed a gun at his head. Fanny, seeing this, bravely stepped in front of her man and was shot multiple times. She saved her man's life at the cost of her own.
There was Fanny dyin'
While a hundred men were cryin'
And the angels up above were cryin', too;
When seven horses started draggin'
Fanny's coffin in a wagon
Down a dusty California avenue.
Many people were in tears when Fanny was dying, including the angels. Seven horses carried her coffin through California as a tribute to her bravery and sacrifice for a man who did not deserve it.
San Francisco Fan
Gave her life to save her man,
A man who wasn't worth a shovelful of earth
From the grave of San Francisco Fan.
San Francisco Fan gave everything for a man who was unworthy of her love, and yet she still gave her life to save him. In the end, she did not even have a proper burial, as she deserved much better than the man who caused her demise.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BETTE CANNON, SUNNY SKYLAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Terry Dillon
San Francisco Fan
Loved a no-good gamblin' man;
She drank the coffee dregs so she could fry his eggs
In a golden fryin' pan.
Can-canned by command,
Of the Gold Rush Cafe clan,
She gave her man her pay; he gambled it away
Playing Chinatown fan-tan.
Once they caught him cheatin'
And he knew that he was beaten,
When a miner aimed a pistol at his head,
Fanny, when she seen 'em,
Ran and jumped right inbetween 'em,
And she stopped a dozen slugs of poison lead.
San Francisco Fan
Loved a no-good gamblin' man;
She drank the coffee dregs so she could fry his eggs
In a golden fryin' pan.
Can-canned by command,
Of the Gold Rush Cafe clan,
She gave her man her pay; he gambled it away
Playing Chinatown fan-tan.
Once they caught him cheatin'
And he knew that he was beaten,
When a miner aimed a pistol at his head,
Fanny, when she seen 'em,
Ran and jumped right inbetween 'em,
And she stopped a dozen slugs of poison lead.
Read more: Cab Calloway - San Francisco Fan Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Bucinka8
Great song, and highly underappreciated by the public! Like most of you, I learned about the song from Joe Jackson. Glad to have found the original!
Duke Mantee
I'm just guessing here, but I'd imagine this guy must have had access to an amazing abundance of tail through out his life.
Terry Dillon
San Francisco Fan
Loved a no-good gamblin' man;
She drank the coffee dregs so she could fry his eggs
In a golden fryin' pan.
Can-canned by command,
Of the Gold Rush Cafe clan,
She gave her man her pay; he gambled it away
Playing Chinatown fan-tan.
Once they caught him cheatin'
And he knew that he was beaten,
When a miner aimed a pistol at his head,
Fanny, when she seen 'em,
Ran and jumped right inbetween 'em,
And she stopped a dozen slugs of poison lead.
San Francisco Fan
Loved a no-good gamblin' man;
She drank the coffee dregs so she could fry his eggs
In a golden fryin' pan.
Can-canned by command,
Of the Gold Rush Cafe clan,
She gave her man her pay; he gambled it away
Playing Chinatown fan-tan.
Once they caught him cheatin'
And he knew that he was beaten,
When a miner aimed a pistol at his head,
Fanny, when she seen 'em,
Ran and jumped right inbetween 'em,
And she stopped a dozen slugs of poison lead.
Read more: Cab Calloway - San Francisco Fan Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Miss Wensday
best cab calloway song EVER!!!!
maithiu
Oh my god, he sounds so different in this one.
madstylesnz
Thanks for upload could never find the original great song, but prefer the Joe Jackson version more, other than that the Calloway versions always reign supreme
Jess Lang
Glad he wrote it, but Joe improved it.
madstylesnz
@manny9655 Yeah I recently discovered him on youtube, downloaded about 4 LPs of his some great swingin' tunes.
manny9655
@madstylesnz That album was also full of covers of Louis Jordan tunes too. Check him out, he wrote some very funny tunes.
madstylesnz
@olderthandadirt I heard Joe's jumping jive LP first, I remember I was in the loo in my old flat the window was open and my landlord who lived in garage out back was playing it and it was that song that has that awesome drum solo in it.
I was like 'who the fuck was that on the drums!'
Burnt a copy of it off him and loved the tunes but my landlord told me they were covers of Cab's I found a CD at our local library that was Cab's best of and truth be told I didn't like it at first. Just seemed slower and of course the sound quality but the more I listened I fell in love with his music and I much prefer the originals now. He had so many talented jazz musicians playing with him and he's the ultimate entertaining frontman. His music is so much fun.