Top 6@6 Week #28 Supplemental Poll: Post Your 6 Favorite Songs By Cab Calloway

Cafe Society
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Subtitled: Dedicated to the late, great man who taught James Brown his moves (No, this isn’t an Esquerita poll)

First: The Who’s, What’s, Where’s & Why’s of the Supplemental Poll

In an attempt to squeeze as many bands in the shortest amount of time possible, The Monday 6 @ 6 Poll, is once again featuring a supplemental poll. A couple weeks ago, grendel72 recommended we commission a Cab Calloway poll…Here it is. This supplemental poll, like the regularly scheduled Johnny Cash thread will be closed and tallied 7 days from today, Monday November 4, 2002 at or about 6PM EDT. Results from both polls will be posted a few minutes later on that same day in Week #29’s regularly scheduled Canned Heat 6 @ 6 Poll.

Second: The Poll & How it Works

It’s simple enough, post your 6 favorite songs by the artist. Personal observations, opinions, liner notes, comments and the like are always welcome but are in no means required.

Third: The Supplemental Poll Artist’s Discography (Reader’s Digest Version)

If your memory of the featured artist isn’t exactly up to speed, here’s a link to their discography with 30 second cuts of some of track previews when you drill down through the albums: Best Of The Big Bands  Wah-Dee-Dah  Jitterbug  Jazz After Hours  Incredible Mr. Calloway  Hi-De-Hi!  Early Years 1930-1934 Volume 1  Cruisin’ With Cab- King Of Hi De Hi  Cocktail Hour-Cab Calloway  Kicking The Gong Around  Keep That Hi-De-Hi In Your Soul  Jumpin Jive  Jiveformation Please.
The link, provided by CD Now, is meant to refresh you Cab Calloway “101” knowledge & jar loose any forgotten titles, please refrain from voting based on .wav previews)

Lastly: The Supplemental Poll Artist of the Week

Without further ado, the scat cat: Cab Calloway.

Here are my 6 CAB CALLOWAY selections:

  1. St. James Infirmary
  2. Jive
  3. Keep That Hi-De-Hi In Your Soul
  4. Reefer Man
  5. (Hep!-Hep!) The Jumpin’ Jive
  6. Minnie The Moocher

So tell us…What are your 6 favorite tracks by Cab Calloway?

Thanking you all in advance. Have a great week.

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  1. St. James Infirmary, specifically the version off of Early Years.
  2. Minnie the Moocher, a great upbeat song about a drug addicted prostitute.
  3. Reefer Man, the song that shocked me the first time I saw an uncut version of International House.
  4. Kickin’ the Gong Around, another song about Minnie smoking opium.
  5. Are You All Reet?, Yes, I’m all reet.
  6. St. Louis Blues, pure cool.
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I like goofy-ish ones, but here goes:

Minnie the Moocher (of course)
Everybody Eats when they come to my House
You all 'reet? (yeah, we all’reet.)
Hep to the Jive
Boo-wah Boo-wah
Hep Cat’s Love Song

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  1. Stormy Weather
  2. You All Reet?
  3. Everybody Eats when they come to my House
  4. St. James Infirmary
  5. Reefer Man
  6. Minnie The Moocher (Natch)
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  1. Minnie the Moocher
  2. Kicking the Gong Around
  3. Harlem Camp Meeting
  4. St. James Infirmary
  5. Reefer Man
  6. Nobody’s Sweetheart

John, this one got me thinking. I didn’t even know who Cab Calloway was until 1975, when I heard Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen do Minnie the Moocher. The Ol’ Commander introduced me to an incredible array of performers: Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan, Bob Wills, Phil Harris, Dan Raye, Roy Hamilton - even Billie Joe Shaver.

So at the risk of creating another poll in which I’m the only voter ( a la Bonzo Dog Band), how about adding Commander Cody to the list?

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  1. St. James Infirmary
  2. Minnie the Moocher
  3. Boo-Wah Boo-Wah
  4. Tarzan of Harlem
  5. Are You All Reet?
  6. Everybody Eats When They Come to My House