Cab Calloway and Bryant Rollins

Dressed in his trademark white zoot suit, Cab Calloway was one of the kings of swing during the Jazz Age, singing, dancing, and leading bands in the hottest clubs of Chicago, New York, and Hollywood. His 1931 song "Minnie the Moocher" made him famous as the scat-singing "hi-de-ho" man who appeared in many movies including 1980's The Blues Brothers. In the excerpt below, Calloway talks about life as an African American musician touring the segregated United States in the twenties and the fabled jazz musicians he met on the road.

I'll never forget the way that I left Baltimore. . . . I pawned [my drums] to buy a suitcase to carry my one suit, three shirts, and a suit of underwear. It cost $10, and I gave all the rest of my money to Mama. The show was only paying...