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.
Yaller
Cab Calloway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dark folk, white folk, but never a hand,
They say to this man,
"You're yaller, you're yaller, you're yaller, you're just a yaller."
A
Black folk, white folk, I'm learning a lot,
You know what I am, I know what I'm not,
be
Ain't even black, I ain't even white,
I ain't like the day and I ain't like the night.
Feeling mean, so inbetween, I'm just a high yaller.
be
Ain't even bad, I ain't even good,
I don't understand and I ain't understood,
Not a friend sticks to the end when you're yaller.
see
Take me to a church and make me pray,
Make me sing a psalm there;
You better leave my soul in a crude cafe,
I don't even belong there.
be
Oh Lord, can't you make a sinner a saint,
Why did you start me but run out of paint,
Pass me by, a no-'count yellow man.
be
Lord only knows, I'm trying to rest,
I want to be down with a load on my chest.
Make my bed; wish I were dead,
A yaller man.
The song "Yaller" by Cab Calloway speaks about the struggles of growing up mixed race and not fitting into either the black or white community. The term "yaller" refers to someone who is light-skinned or mixed-race. The song tells the story of someone who is stuck in between two worlds and not accepted in either. The lyrics talk about being called yaller by both black and white people, and feeling like an outsider. The singer acknowledges that they are not fully black nor fully white and struggles to find their place in society.
The singer of the song also talks about feeling like they are not understood by anyone. They state that they are not bad nor good, and don't understand why they don't fit into any groups. The lyrics also mention the idea of religion and how the singer feels like they don't belong in a church. They express a desire to be accepted and understood but feel like their racial identity is a barrier to achieving that. The song ends with a sense of hopelessness, as the singer wishes to be dead, implying that they see no way of fitting into society or finding acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
Dark folk, white folk, but never a hand,
People of different races may live among each other, but they do not associate with each other.
They say to this man,
People say to this man,
"You're yaller, you're yaller, you're yaller, you're just a yaller."
"You are light-skinned, and therefore not fully Black or White, but instead a 'yaller' person.'"
Black folk, white folk, I'm learning a lot,
I am exposed to people of different races, and I am learning something from each person.
You know what I am, I know what I'm not,
I have a sense of my racial identity and what I am not, even if it is not clearly defined.
Ain't even black, I ain't even white,
I am not fully Black or White.
I ain't like the day and I ain't like the night.
I do not fit into one clear category or the other.
Feeling mean, so inbetween, I'm just a high yaller.
I feel uncomfortable and out of place because of my mixed-race identity.
Ain't even bad, I ain't even good,
I do not see myself as especially good or bad.
I don't understand and I ain't understood,
I do not understand myself or why I am treated differently because of my skin color.
Not a friend sticks to the end when you're yaller.
People do not truly accept me because of my mixed-race identity.
Take me to a church and make me pray,
In moments of despair, I turn to religion for comfort.
Make me sing a psalm there;
I participate in religious rituals and practices.
You better leave my soul in a crude cafe,
I do not feel like I fit in with the respectable, mainstream society.
I don't even belong there.
I feel like I do not belong anywhere.
Oh Lord, can't you make a sinner a saint,
I am asking God to help me overcome my struggles and be accepted.
Why did you start me but run out of paint,
I question why I was created with this mixed-race identity.
Pass me by, a no-'count yellow man.
I feel ignored and devalued because of my mixed-race identity.
Lord only knows, I'm trying to rest,
I am exhausted and seeking peace and comfort.
I want to be down with a load on my chest.
I want to release the heavy burden of my mixed-race identity.
Make my bed; wish I were dead,
I am depressed and struggling with suicidal thoughts.
A yaller man.
I am a mixed-race person who is not easily categorized or accepted in society.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: HOMER HAYNES, JETHRO BURNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Walters
Thanks for posting “Yaller” on YouTube , ‘cause it’s not even on Spotify !!!
Sam Rosenstock
Damn
roybo1930
I have this record Orange Shellac with Black Label! But a slightly different take! But not much.
HappyMeal-Jackal
I ain't even