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.
Some of These Days
Cab Calloway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some of these days you're gonna want me only,
You'll miss my love and miss my kiss,
You're gonna miss your little daddy when he goes away!
You'll be so lonely alone without me,
You know, baby, why I went away;
Oh, when I'm leaving, there's no doubt your heart'll be grieving;
In Cab Calloway's Some of These Days, the singer warns his lover that one day she will deeply miss him. The lyrics imply that their relationship is not built to last, and the singer is aware of this fact. The repetition of "some of these days" emphasizes that the singer is not sure when exactly he will leave but that it is inevitable.
The first line suggests that the lover may become lonely, implying that Cab Calloway is not always present. However, the lover will eventually feel deeply lonely to the point where she will want only him. The singer reminds his lover that she will miss his affection and fatherly presence when he is gone.
The second paragraph discusses how the lover will feel after the singer has left her. The singer explains that the lover will be exceedingly lonely and will miss him intensely. Even though he is leaving her, he still refers to her as "mama," a term of endearment that suggests he still cares for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Some of these days you're gonna be so lonely,
In the future, there will come a time when you will deeply feel loneliness.
Some of these days you're gonna want me only,
There will come a time in the future when you will realize that you need me.
You'll miss my love and miss my kiss,
When I am gone, you will crave my affection and the warmth of my lips.
You're gonna miss your little daddy when he goes away!
You will experience sadness and regret once I am away from you.
You'll be so lonely alone without me,
The sense of isolation and lack of companionship will be overpowering without me by your side.
You know, baby, why I went away;
You are aware of the reason why I had to leave and go away from you.
Oh, when I'm leaving, there's no doubt your heart'll be grieving;
The departure of mine will cause your heart to hurt and distraught.
You're gonna miss your daddy, mama, some of these days.
Inevitably, you will yearn and long for my presence in your life, my dear mother.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music
Written by: Shelton Brooks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chemi Che-Mponda
Go Cab Calloway! There's been no one like him since!
Dan Champion
Man this had me dancing in my chair. I miss you Cab, you legendary hep cat!
Tulipe Sucrée
Some of these days you're gonna be so lonely,
Some of these days you're gonna want me only,
You'll miss my love and miss my kiss,
You're gonna miss your little daddy when he goes away!
You'll be so lonely alone without me,
You know, baby, why I went away;
Oh, when I'm leaving, there's no doubt your heart'll be grieving;
You're gonna miss your daddy, mama, some of these days.
Squidward
I don’t think id ever play this like that but this is some good music
Harry Fishback
After reading some of these comments I am left with only one thing to say..... Behind that door you don't go through that is one thing you do not do. Peace out ya'll may you be blessed with visions of Froggy dancing the Charleston.
Malcolm Fitzcarraldo
The king and qveen, of that terrible underwoild
Philip Salter
The speed it is done is perfect to me, or I would probably not have memorized the name.
Dan Champion
Back in the day this was the music that if you weren't dancing people had you locked up thinking you where nuts!
n0denz
Best version of the song without any doubt.
X X
HE WAS A MIRACLE