Known as "The Hi-De-Ho Man," jazz singer, dancer, and bandleader Cab Calloway was one of the best-known entertainers in the United States from the early 1930s until his death in 1994. Calloway's musical talents, however, were only part of the story. His live performances at Harlem's Cotton Club became legendary because of Calloway's wild gyrations, facial expressions, and entertaining patter.

Born Cabell Calloway on Christmas Day, 1907, in Rochester, New York, Calloway spent most of his childhood years in Baltimore. The younger brother of singer Blanche Calloway, who made several popular records in the early 1930s before retiring, Cab discovered show business during his teen years, frequenting Chicago clubs while attending that city's Crane School. When Calloway encountered financial difficulties, he naturally turned to moonlighting in the same clubs, first as an emcee and later as a singer, dancer, and bandleader.

Although Calloway was attending law...