Cab Calloway and His Orchestra
Cab Calloway was a natural showman, a larger-than-life figure who found his element up on a stage in front of a big band warming the crowd. Born in New York in 1907, his bravura and voice attracted a happening crowd at The Cotton Club, where he ran a relief band for Duke Ellington. Remembered fondly for songs such as Minnie the Moocher and Cocky Joe, his band blended the talent of some of the finest musicians on the circuit: Chu Berry, Jonah Jones, and briefly Dizzy Gillespie. He also made a memorable appearance in Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi’s cult movie The Blues Brothers before his death in 1994.
