Of Minnie the Moocher & Me

by Cab Calloway, Bryant Rollins

From dust jacket notes: "From the back streets of Baltimore where he hustled as a kid, through the jazz clubs of Chicago in the raw and roaring twenties, to the Cotton Club, Hollywood, Paris, and beyond, here in his own words is the story of Cab Calloway - the man who made Minnie the Moocher a household heroine and became one of the most respected jazz musicians and best loved entertainers in America. He sang and danced like no other performer of his time. Tall, slender, handsome and resplendent in a white zoot suit, his presence on stage was electric. 'Hi-de-hi-de-ho,' he'd sing. 'Hi-de-hi-de-ho,' the audience would answer. 'Wah-de-do-de-way-de-ho,' he'd intone. 'Wah-de-do-de-way-de-ho,' they'd roar back. And on it would go until the crowd was singing and stomping and dancing in the aisles. It was the Great Depression, but he made them forget. More than that, he made them happy. That has always been Cab Calloway's profession - and the secret of his monumental success - knowing how to make people happy. He has entertained presidents and crowned heads of Europe, Mr. and Mrs. America (as they were then called) over network radio and the first integrated audiences in the South - as well as those still segregated by a rope down a concert hall. He has starred in Broadway shows, made scores of movies, and written hundreds of songs. He has worked - and played - with the greats of his profession from Louis Armstrong to Lena Horne, Duke Ellington to Al Jolson, Dizzy Gillespie to Bill Robinson...."

Genres: Music, Autobiography, Jazz, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, 20th Century

282 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer.

Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the United States' most popular African American big bands from the start of the 1930s through the late 1940s. Calloway's band featured performers including trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "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.

Reviews

[Maggie Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cab's huge personality just jumps and jives right off the page the split second this book is opened. And for an extra bonus Cab included a hipster dictionary in the index! I have been, as you know, reading about extraordinary musicians of the depression and WWII eras. This autobiography stands out among the others as the most entertaining.

[Chet Taranowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cab wasn't a perfect guy. He loved the horses and he wasn't always there for his kids. But he did have an interesting life. His descriptions of Harlem, the Cotton Club and life in the 1930s were fascinating. I have always loved his music and it was fascinating to hear the story behind it. This guy was ambitious and a really hard worker, not at all like the music-crazed, strutting character he played as a band leader.

This is a pretty good book, but it really helps if you are a fan.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read! Cab Calloway was a well-known big band director, actor, and entertainer from nearby Baltimore. He was quite a character! I really enjoyed the history of the big band era, especially the black big bands. I have to admit a connection to this story that spurred me to read it. His first daughter, Camay, attends the same church as I do. I'm proud to call her my friend.

[Gijs Grob · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Of Minnie the Moocher & Me' is swing star Cab Calloway's autobiography. Calloway has quite a personality, and the book paints a lively portrait of this proud, money-loving, strong-willed and tough character. Apart from Calloway there are testimonies by pianist Bennie Payne, bass player Milt Hinton, and by Calloway's wife and daughters. The latter paint a picture of Calloway the father. Much more interesting, however, are Calloway's memories of his road to fame and his success during the swing era, which also was an era of segregation. At times it's like Calloway's sitting next to you telling his tales. Calloway suffered when the swing era rapidly expired after 1945, and the remaining chapters are hardly as interesting as the first. In the end there's a nice dictionary of the jive talk Calloway and his comrades used in the 1930s and 1940s.

[Forrest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three stars for the autobiography itself, which has plenty of good anecdotes but also the usual problems: a narrative that jumps around like crazy, too many gaps, and a general fuzziness in the fact department. Calloway's voice and personality really come through, however, and that's why I picked up the book in the first place.

Also included are a killer-diller reproduction of Cab's famous Hepster's Dictionary and an amazing cartoon map of Harlem. And some of the gaps in Cab's own narrative are filled in by third-party testimony from friends and family. Overall, the impression is of a flawed but honest account of a fascinating life. So I'll bump this up to four stars overall.

[Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story told like I like it, first person, intimate and peppered with personal slang - and speaking of, Cab wrote and published The Cab Calloway Hepster's Dictionary - Language of Jive. Included in the book. t's the Official jive language reference book of the New York Public Library and as of the books publication, the edition printed was in it's sixth edition since 1938.

[marcali · Rating 3 out of 5]

great history-- has cool appendix of hep dictionary, etc.-- also, gave wife/kids chapter to comment! (nice counterpoint, like how Questlove had his manager give own account of certain events!)

[Melissa Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

a MUST for all Cab fans, incredible life & professionalism