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.
St. James Infirmary
Cab Calloway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See my baby there
She's stretched out on a long, white table
She's so sweet, so cold, so fair
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She will search this wide world over
Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches
Put on a box-back coat and a Stetson hat
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat
Folks, now that you have heard my story
Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that hooch
If anyone should ask you
Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues
Cab Calloway's song St. James Infirmary is a ballad depicting a man who goes to St. James Infirmary to see his dead lover. He describes her lying on a long, white table, and he sorrowfully admires her beauty, noting her coldness. He asks God to bless her and goes on to say that she will never find another sweet man like him, even if she were to search the wide world over. The song contains many references to death, including the man's wish to be buried in his best clothes and adorned with a $20 gold piece, and he ends with a request for another drink to ease the pain of his heartache.
The lyrics of this song have been interpreted in different ways. Some have viewed it as a haunting love story, while others have seen it as a reflection on mortality and the fleeting nature of life. It has also been suggested that the song might have been inspired by St. James Hospital in London, where many poor people would come to die. Regardless of the interpretation, the song's melancholic melody and lyrics have made it a classic that has been covered by many artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary
I am headed to the St. James Infirmary in order to see my loved one.
See my baby there
I am going to see my significant other.
She's stretched out on a long, white table
My loved one has died has been placed on a table in the mortuary.
She's so sweet, so cold, so fair
Even in death, my significant other is still beautiful.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Although my loved one has passed away, I wish her the best in the afterlife.
Wherever she may be
No matter where my loved one may go in the afterlife, I hope she finds peace.
She will search this wide world over
If given the chance, my loved one would still be searching for me.
But she'll never find another sweet man like me
There is no one else in the world like me, and my loved one will never find that kind of love again.
Now, when I die, bury me in my straight-leg britches
When I pass away, dress me in my finest clothes.
Put on a box-back coat and a Stetson hat
Make sure I am wearing a classy outfit when I am buried.
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
Leave a gold piece on me when I am buried as a symbol of my wealth.
So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat
Let everyone know I stayed true and did not back down when I died.
Folks, now that you have heard my story
Now that my story is complete.
Say, boy, hand me over another shot of that hooch
Give me another drink of alcohol to cope with the pain of losing my loved one.
If anyone should ask you
If anyone asks you about me.
Tell 'em I've got those St. James Infirmary blues
Let them know that I am mourning for my loved one who has passed away.
Lyrics Β© Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ip9yu7lp1q
Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary
See my baby there;
She's stretched out on a long, white table
She's so sweet, so cold, so fair
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She can search this whole wide world over
But she'll never find another sweet man like me
When I die bury me in my straight-leg britches
Put on a box-back coat and a Stetson hat
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat
Then give me six crap-shootin' pallbearers
Let a chorus girl sing me a song
Put a red hot jazz band at the top of my head
So we can raise hallelujah as we go along
Folks, now that you have heard my story
Say boy, hand me over another shot of that booze
If anyone should ask you, you just tell 'em
I got those St. James Infirmary Blues
@disc0stupid
These lyrics are accurate for this version. I found no version to live up to the quality and emotion of the Betty Boop cartoon though. That one is my far and away favourite.
Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary
See my baby there;
She's stretched out on a long, white table
She's so sweet, so cold, so fair
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She can search this whole wide world over
But she'll never find another sweet man like me
When I die bury me in my straight-leg britches
Put on a box-back coat and a Stetson hat
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So you can let all the boys know I died standing pat
Then give me six crap-shootin' pallbearers
Let a chorus girl sing me a song
Put a red hot jazz band at the top of my head
So we can raise hallelujah as we go along
Folks, now that you have heard my story
Say boy, hand me over another shot of that booze
If anyone should ask you, you just tell 'em
I got those St. James Infirmary Blues
@sillyguy459
LET HER GO LET HER GO GOD BLESS HERπ£οΈπ₯π₯π₯π₯βΌοΈβΌοΈπ£οΈπ£οΈ
@bruhbenton
WHEREVER SHE MAY BE π₯π₯π₯π₯
@rykerbroughton3832
I feel like Cab is so underappreciated. Which is why I love showing people this legend.
@WeegeeFan1Studios
Yea my first 50 words almost ALWAYS mention cab. Or my profile picture is Cab or I'll send my Cab stickers I've made since I discovered Cab just over a year ago.
@WeegeeFan1Studios
I'm Hep to the Jive!
@rykerbroughton3832
Say, why did you start listening to Cab Calloway yourself. For me for example it was the old Betty Boop cartoons because I do traditional animation myself.
@rykerbroughton3832
@@WeegeeFan1Studios yes yes
@zekedia2223
I came from a Doc Watson cover of this song. If you know him, bery different style to this. Still love both versions
@rruffin983
Callaway is an icon! I don't think he's underappreciated, he's just of another Era. His prime time was out of sight!
@user-mw7hh7em2b
Yes! He was unique and exceptionally talented.