Performing his signature number, Cab Calloway sings Minnie the Moocher in this performance from the 1950’s.
As ever he adds a few surprises like the sexy shadow dancer gyrating in the background and a new spin on his familiar scat singing.
Born in New York State with a middle class upbringing,
Calloway’s parents pushed him to become an attorney like his father. Instead, he followed the path of his sister Blanche, already an established jazz performer.
While filling the roles of emcee, singer and drummer during a stretch at the local Sunset Cafe in Chicago, he encountered Louis Armstrong, with who he would perform and learn the art of “scat” singing.
His big break however would be as bandleader at the famed Cotton Club, filling in while Duke Ellington was touring the country.
