Throwback: Happy 117th Birthday, Cab Calloway!

December is here. 2024 has flown by and is almost over. 

Much like the previous 11 months, this month is a busy month in music birthdays. Let’s get to it y’all. 

• The legendary Lou Rawls was born 85 years ago on December 1
• The Doors‘ John Densmore celebrated his 80^th birthday on December 1
• Jaco Pastorius, one of the greatest bassists ever was born 73 years ago on December 1
• Def Leppard bassist Rick Savage celebrated his 64^th birthday on December 2
• Montell Jordan celebrates his 56th birthday today
• Ozzy Osbourne, the “Prince of Darkness” and “Godfather of Metal,” celebrated his 76th birthday on December 3
• One of the greatest and most successful emcees both commercially and critically to ever do it, Jay-Z celebrated his 55th — yes, 55th ya’ll! — birthday on December 4ow
• The pioneering rock legend Little Richard was born 92 years ago on December 5
• R.E.M co-founder and lead guitarist Peter Buck celebrated his 68th birthday on December 5
• The Doors‘ Jim Morrison was born 81 years ago on December 8
• The fearlessly uncompromising Sinead O’Connor was born 58 years ago on December 8
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ Nick Zinner celebrated his 50th — that’s right y’all 50th! — birthday on December 8
• McCoy Tyner was born 86 years ago on December 11. 
• The legendary Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton was born 98 years ago on December 12
• Motley Crüe‘s Nikki Sixx celebrated his 66th birthday on December 12
• Yasiin Bey, one of the greatest living emcees celebrated his 51st birthday on December 12
• The incomparable, elegant and absolutely legendary Ms. Dionne Warwick celebratesd her 84th birthday on December 12
• The Fixx’s frontman Cy Curnin celebrated his 67th birthday on December 12
• Sheila E celebrated her 67th birthday on December 12
• Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer Grover Washington, Jr. was born 81 years ago on December 12
• Telvision‘s Tom Verlaine, one of the most influential and important guitarists of the past 50 years was born on this day 75 years ago
• The Time’s Morris Day celebrated his 66th birthday on December 13. 
• ZZ Top‘s frontman, guitarist and co-founder Billy Gibbons celebrated his 75th birthday on December 16
• R.E.M co-founder, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mike Mills celebrates his 66th birthday on December 17
• The Rolling Stones‘ legendary guitarist Keith Richards celebrated his 81 birthday on December 18
• DMX, one of the most electric, captivating emcees to ever spit bars on a record was born 54 years ago on December 18
• Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White was born 83 years ago on December 19
• The legendary Édith Piaf was born on 109 years ago on December 19
• The Black Crowes‘ and Chris Robinson Brotherhood (CRB)‘s Chris Robinsoncelebrated his 58th birthday on December 20
• The legendary Frank Zappa was born 84 years ago on December 21
• The Bee Gee‘s Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb were born 75 years ago on December 22
• Luther Campbell, a.k.a. Luke Skyywalker, a.k.a Uncle Luke, a.k.a. Luke, the mastermind behind the legendary and controversial The 2 Live Crew was born 64 years ago on December 22
• Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder celebrated his 60th — yes, y’all., 60th! — birthday on December 23 
• Motörhead founder, frontman — and overall badass — Lemmy Kilmister was born 79 years ago on December 24

The legendary Cab Calloway was born 117 years ago today. Throughout his incredible six and half decade career, the Rochester-born singer/songwriter, dancer and actor had a towering influence on music and popular culture: You can trace — and see — elements of his work in pop music, rock ‘n’ roll, and hip-hop. 

Some will say he was the original rock frontman. But I’d also suggest that he was one of the first hip-hop emcees. His work often featured intimate views of street life: pimps, con-men, drug dealers, junkies, moochers, and other shifty characters inhabit the songs in a way that almost sounds like hardcore hip-hop. Yeah, seriously. 

By the way, the footage with the Nicholas Brothers is jaw-dropping. Y’all need to check that out. 

Happy birthday, Cab! Happy birthday, wherever you are, you hep cat!