Cab Calloway

小簡介
Cab Calloway是一位很有天份的歌手與舞者，曾經(jīng)唸過法律相關(guān)的學校，但是最后還是發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能在音樂演出上，他從1928年開始領(lǐng)導爵士大樂團，他領(lǐng)導過的樂團有Alabamians 樂團與Missourians樂團，Alabamians 樂團在紐約市的演出不是很具有競爭力，因此只維持一段時間。
1929年領(lǐng)導的樂團Missourians 就是很出色的樂團了，所唱紅的歌曲很多，他們也在紐約市的棉花俱樂部表演，大約在1932年時達到一個顛峰，Cab Calloway的表演特色是將更多娛樂的成分加入爵士樂當中。這也使他成為知名度很高的黑人藝人，就像Louis Armstrong 與Duke Ellington一樣有很高的聲望。"Minnie The Moocher."這首曲子在當時非常受到喜愛， 他與經(jīng)紀人 Irvin Mills的共同合作，讓唱片銷售超過百萬張。后來Cab Calloway正式接管Missourians樂團，并且將它更名為"Cab Calloway and His Orchestra"。
1942年所錄製的歌曲"Blues in the Night"是非常暢銷的歌曲。 由於大樂隊漸漸難以維持，他的樂隊也在1948年解散. Cab Calloway曾經(jīng)與小喇叭手Dizzy Gillespie 發(fā)生衝突，他甚至還被Dizzy Gillespie 刺了一刀，后來他們兩人彼此和解了。其實他與 Dizzy Gillespie一樣都是爵士樂團重要的領(lǐng)導人，而且都是相當有領(lǐng)導魅力的人。
by Scott Yanow
One of the great entertainers, Cab Calloway was a household name by 1932, and never really declined in fame. A talented jazz singer and a superior scatter, Calloways gyrations and showmanship on-stage at the Cotton Club sometimes overshadowed the quality of his always excellent bands. The younger brother of singer Blanche Calloway (who made some fine records before retiring in the mid-30s), Cab grew up in Baltimore, attended law school briefly, and then quit to try to make it as a singer and a dancer. For a time, he headed the Alabamians, but the band was not strong enough to make it in New York. The Missourians, an excellent group that had previously recorded heated instrumentals but had fallen upon hard times, worked out much better. Calloway worked in the 1929 revue Hot Chocolates, started recording in 1930, and in 1931 hit it big with both Minnie the Moocher and his regular engagement at the Cotton Club. Calloway was soon (along with Bill Robinson, Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington) the best-known black entertainer of the era. He appeared in quite a few movies (including 1943s Stormy Weather), and Minnie the Moocher was followed by such recordings as Kicking the Gong Around, Reefer Man, Minnie the Moochers Wedding Day, You Gotta Hi-De-Ho, The Hi-De-Ho Miracle Man, and even Mister Paganini, Swing for Minnie. Among Calloways sidemen through the years (who received among the highest salaries in the business) were Walter Foots Thomas, Bennie Payne, Doc Cheatham, Eddie Barefield, Shad Collins, Cozy Cole, Danny Barker, Milt Hinton, Mario Bauza, Chu Berry, Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, Tyree Glenn, Panama Francis, and Ike Quebec. His 1942 recording of Blues in the Night was a big hit.
With the end of the big band era, Calloway had to reluctantly break up his orchestra in 1948, although he continued to perform with his Cab Jivers. Since George Gershwin had originally modeled the character Sportin Life in Porgy and Bess after Calloway, it was fitting that Cab got to play him in a 1950s version. Throughout the rest of his career, Calloway made special appearances for fans who never tired of hearing him sing Minnie the Moocher.