Cecelia Calloway is the daughter of the legendary “Hi De Ho” man, Cab Calloway, and a storyteller and vocalist herself, as she continues to share her family’s stories and the history of African Americans with the next generation.
It’s no easy task carrying on a legacy.
“We're all human beings, and let us begin to love one another,” Cecelia Calloway said.
What You Need To Know
- Cecelia Calloway's father, Cabell (Cab) Calloway III, known as the “Hi De Ho” man, was a major figure in America’s musical history
- Cab Calloway was born in Rochester in 1907. Raised in Baltimore, he got his start in music as a young boy on the pedals of his mother’s organ at church
- Cab Calloway became a household name with his song, “Minnie the Moocher"
Calloway has made it her life’s mission to make sure the past doesn’t stay there.
Her father, Cabell (Cab) Calloway III, known as the “Hi De Ho” man, was a major figure in America’s musical history.
“They would jitterbug,” Cecelia Calloway said. “They enjoyed, they enjoyed, enjoyed life.”
Cab Calloway was born in Rochester in 1907. Raised in Baltimore, he got his start in music as a young boy on the pedals of his mother’s organ at church.
“That’s where he really learned. He couldn't help it but learn his melodies, his tones, you know, that was his first introduction really to music,” Cecelia Calloway said.
Though he would attend law school in Chicago, Cab Calloway never stopped performing.
He met Louis Armstrong and learned how to sing in his signature scat style.
Cab Calloway became a household name with his song, “Minnie the Moocher.”
“The most important thing is that you believe in yourself and that you have tenacity to keep going,” Cecelia Calloway said.
One of five daughters, Cecelia Calloway began her musical career at 9 years old.
“I still remember it as if I just did it a few minutes ago,” Calloway said. “It was me and my dad standing in this little booth in the middle of it. I still get goose pimples from it because it was just such an awesome, awesome experience.”
The two performed together around the world.
But even when she got standing ovations, Cecelia Calloway said Cab Calloway always pushed her to do better.
“I'm so blessed for what he taught me and how he trained me. I, in any way that I can, I love to pass that on,” Calloway said.
And she said she’ll continue to shine light on the contributions her father and other Black Americans have made to society.
“It gives me energy to keep at it for as long as God blesses me to be here. That is my mission,” Calloway said.
Cab Calloway passed away in 1994.
Cecilia Calloway continues to perform Calloway songs, host lectures and give presentations in schools, senior homes, museums and at various events. She even worked to get her father inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2012.