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.
Sweet Georgia Brown
Cab Calloway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No gal made has got a shade
On sweet georgia brown,
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has sweet georgia brown!
They all sigh, and want to die,
For sweet georgia brown!
You know i don't lie, not much:
It's been said she knocks 'em dead,
When she lands in town!
Since she came, why it's a shame,
How she cools them down!
Fellas she can't get
Must be fellas she ain't met!
Georgia claimed her, georgia named her,
Sweet georgia brown!
No gal made has got a shade
On sweet georgia brown,
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has sweet georgia brown!
They all sigh, and want to die,
For sweet georgia brown!
I'll tell you just why,
You know i don't lie; not much:
All those gifts those courters give,
To sweet georgia brown,
They buy clothes at fashion shows,
With one dollar down,
Oh, boy! tip your hat!
Oh, joy! she's the cat!
Who's that, mister? 'tain't a sister!
Sweet georgia brown!
In the lyrics to Cab Calloway's song "Sweet Georgia Brown," Louis Armstrong is describing the captivating nature of a woman named Georgia. He starts off by saying that no other woman can compare to her, implying that she is the most beautiful and captivating woman in town. Armstrong sings about the way that she dances, stating that even with "two left feet" she still manages to exude an attractive grace that catches everyone's attention. He describes how all the men around her swoon and would be willing to die for her attention. Armstrong goes on to explain that Georgia has a certain ability to "knock them dead" and that she has a way of making people feel cooler just by being in their presence. He concludes the song by suggesting that those men who aren't interested in Georgia simply haven't met her yet, and he reminds the listener that Georgia was claimed and named after the state itself.
Line by Line Meaning
No gal made has got a shade
On sweet georgia brown,
No woman can compare to Sweet Georgia Brown.
Two left feet, oh, so neat,
Has sweet georgia brown!
Although she may not have perfect dancing abilities, Sweet Georgia Brown is charming.
They all sigh, and want to die,
For sweet georgia brown!
Men are so infatuated with Sweet Georgia Brown that they would do anything for her.
I'll tell you just why,
You know i don't lie, not much:
I will tell you the true reason without embellishing too much.
It's been said she knocks 'em dead,
When she lands in town!
Sweet Georgia Brown is so captivating that people are completely taken with her when she arrives in town.
Since she came, why it's a shame,
How she cools them down!
Sweet Georgia Brown has such an effect on men that it's a shame to see how quickly she can make them calm and subdued.
Fellas she can't get
Must be fellas she ain't met!
If there are any men who are not interested in Sweet Georgia Brown, it's only because they have not yet had the opportunity to meet her.
Georgia claimed her, georgia named her,
Sweet georgia brown!
Sweet Georgia Brown is so uniquely special that she must have been claimed and named after the state of Georgia.
All those gifts those courters give,
To sweet georgia brown,
Men shower Sweet Georgia Brown with gifts in an attempt to win her affection.
They buy clothes at fashion shows,
With one dollar down,
The men who court Sweet Georgia Brown go to great lengths to buy her fashionable and expensive gifts.
Oh, boy! tip your hat!
Oh, joy! she's the cat!
Men show great respect and admiration for Sweet Georgia Brown.
Who's that, mister? 'tain't a sister!
Sweet georgia brown!
Sweet Georgia Brown is such a unique and impressive woman that even strangers will ask who she is when they see her.
Contributed by Makayla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rev. Rufus /Dr. Cure All Ford
It would have been fantastic to Had Watched this Performance Live