After 30 years, Cab Calloway’s Family Confirm The Rumors!

After 30 years, Cab Calloway’s Family Confirm The Rumors!

The tale of Cab Calloway is one of unparalleled musical brilliance, electric showmanship, and a private life shielded by a carefully constructed public persona. Folks, I’m going down to St. James Infirmary—Minnie had a heart as big as a house. For many years, the energetic bandleader and jazz icon Cab Calloway thrilled crowds with his exciting performances. However, behind the scenes and beyond the spotlight, Cab Calloway kept significant and scandalous aspects of his personal life hidden. Now, his family has confirmed these long-standing rumors, prompting us to ask: Who was the real Cab Calloway? To understand Cab, we must first examine the early events that shaped his extraordinary life.

Cab Calloway, whose full name was Cabell Calloway III, was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1907, in Rochester, New York. He hailed from a distinguished African American family. His father, Cabell Calloway Jr., graduated from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania and worked as both a lawyer and a real estate agent. His mother, Martha Eulalia Reed, was a graduate of Morgan State College and served as a teacher and church organist. They had four children in total, including Cab. In 1919, when Cab was 11, his family relocated from Rochester to Baltimore, Maryland. Shortly thereafter, his father passed away, and his mother remarried.

Calloway grew up in West Baltimore’s Druid Hill neighborhood. As a child, he frequently skipped school—a habit that deeply upset his parents—to earn money by selling newspapers, shining shoes, and cooling down horses at the Pimlico Racetrack. This experience sparked an enduring interest in horse racing and betting. On one occasion, his mother caught him playing dice on the church steps; displeased, she sent him to the Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School, a reform school run by her uncle, in 1921. By 1922, Cab had returned to Baltimore and continued his various odd jobs, including catering, while attending Frederick Douglass High School. There, he received private singing lessons from William Llewellyn Wilson, who was renowned for training other Baltimore music legends.

Despite his parents and teachers discouraging him from pursuing jazz, Cab followed his passion. He frequently performed with Ike Dixon’s band at school dances and played in juke joints and clubs. Mentored by drummer Chick Webb and pianist Johnny Jones, he often performed with the Johnny and His Arabian Tent Orchestra, much to his parents’ annoyance. In his senior year of high school, Cab also joined the school’s basketball team and later played professionally with the Baltimore Athenians in the Negro Professional Basketball League. In 1925, he graduated from high school.

After Calloway graduated in 1925, he began performing in Baltimore nightclubs, inspired by mentors like Chick Webb and Johnny Jones. Although his parents and teachers disapproved of his passion for jazz, Cab did not let their discouragement stop him. In the summer of 1927, he joined his older sister, Blanche Calloway, on tour with the famous Black musical revue Plantation Days. Blanche was already a successful bandleader and the first African American woman to lead her own orchestra. Her influence, along with that of Ruth Mayob, his study partner, deepened his love for show business. After the tour, Calloway enrolled at Crane College to study law, hoping to please his mother, who wanted him to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Despite attending law school, his true passion remained singing and entertaining. He spent most nights performing at Chicago nightclubs like the Sunset Cafe and Club Berlin, where he worked as a singer, drummer, and master of ceremonies. He often performed with Louis Armstrong, who taught him the scat-singing style—using nonsensical sounds to create intricate melodies. Determined to follow his dreams, Calloway dropped out of law school in 1929 to sing with the Alabamians band in New York. They had their first performance at the Savoy Ballroom on September 20 of that year. Unfortunately, the Alabamians soon disbanded, but Calloway’s talent as a bandleader had already been noticed. His friend and mentor, Armstrong, recommended him as a replacement singer in the musical revue Connie’s Hot Chocolates. Here, he made a name for himself by singing “Ain’t Misbehavin'” by Fats Waller. While performing in the revue, another opportunity arose for him to lead the Missourians band in 1930. The band was renamed Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, and they continued to perform and gain recognition. Eventually, a key opportunity propelled them into the spotlight.

In 1931, the Missourians band was hired to play at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York, filling in for the Duke Ellington Orchestra while they toured. Their popularity grew, and they secured a permanent spot at the club. This marked the start of Cab Calloway’s journey to stardom. He performed with the band twice a week for NBC radio broadcasts and appeared on radio shows with Walter Winchell and Bing Crosby, becoming the first African American to have a nationally syndicated radio show at 23 years old. Even during the Great Depression, Calloway made a fortune through his musical talents, earning up to $50,000 in one year.

That same year, Calloway recorded his most famous song, “Minnie the Moocher,” showcasing his unique scat singing. He also performed “St. James Infirmary Blues” and “The Old Man of the Mountain,” which were featured in Betty Boop cartoons in 1932 and 1933. Calloway provided the voice for these cartoons, and his dance moves were used for the characters through a technique called rotoscoping. “Minnie the Moocher” was the first single by an African American artist to sell a million copies, catapulting Calloway to fame. The song’s famous “hi-de-ho” chorus—improvised when he forgot a lyric—became his signature phrase, earning him the nickname “The Hi-De-Ho Man of Jazz.” “Minnie the Moocher” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2019.

Calloway was celebrated as an energetic and humorous entertainer, delighting audiences with his white-tailed tuxedo, oversized baton, eccentric dance moves, and wild hair flips. His band featured incredibly talented musicians, including trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, and Adolphus “Doc” Cheatham; saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon “Chu” Berry; guitarist Danny Barker; bassist Milt Hinton; and drummer Cozy Cole. Calloway helped advance their careers and made their names famous. Not only did they make music together, but they also formed baseball and basketball teams, playing against each other on the road. They competed against local semi-pro teams and participated in charity games. They toured across the United States, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean, performing both as a band and as a sports team.

Unfortunately, in the late 1940s, after World War II, the popularity of large swing bands declined as people began to prefer smaller bebop combos. This led to the breakup of Cab’s band. In addition to his musical career, Cab Calloway had a passion for education. In 1938, he self-published a booklet titled Cab Calloway’s Cat-o-log: A Hepster’s Dictionary. This was the first dictionary written and published by an African American and went through several revisions, all published by Calloway himself. He had numerous hit records and made it to the Billboard charts in five consecutive decades, from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Calloway’s talents extended beyond music to acting. He became a household name through his TV appearances and occasional concerts in the U.S. and Europe. In the 1930s, he starred in a series of short films for Paramount featuring his band—more than any other jazz orchestra of that time. In these films, Calloway performed a gliding backstep dance move, which some say was a precursor to Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk. He appeared in several movies, including The Big Broadcast, Stormy Weather, Sensations of 1945, The Cincinnati Kid, and Hi-De-Ho. He also performed in stage productions like Porgy and Bess in 1953 and Hello, Dolly! in 1967. One of his most notable appearances was in the 1980 John Landis comedy The Blues Brothers, where he performed “Minnie the Moocher” just as impressively as he did in 1931. This became his best-known film appearance and his last. In 1993, President Bill Clinton awarded Calloway the National Medal of Arts, honoring his significant contributions to the arts and theater industry.

On June 12, 1994, Calloway suffered a stroke at his home in Westchester County, New York. Five months later, on November 18, 1994, he passed away from pneumonia at the age of 86 in a nursing home in Hockessin, Delaware. He was survived by his wife, five daughters, and seven grandsons. Calloway was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Even after his death, Cab continued to receive honors well into the 21st century for his exceptional talent and career achievements. He was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. In 1999, his song “Minnie the Moocher” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2019. In 2022, the National Film Registry selected his home films for preservation, describing them as culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. Calloway was also inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame and the International Jazz Hall of Fame. He received numerous other awards and honors both during his life and posthumously.

Cab Calloway’s influence spanned generations, impacting great musicians like James Brown, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and modern-day hip-hop performers. On August 14, 1993, journalist Timothy White wrote in Billboard, “No living Pathfinder in American popular music or its jazz and rock and roll capillaries is so frequently emulated yet so seldom acknowledged as Cabell ‘Cab’ Calloway. He arguably did more things first and better than any other bandleader of his generation.”

In January 1927, while Calloway was in law school, he and a fellow student named Zelma Proctor had a baby girl named Camay. Although they were not married, Camay followed in her father’s pioneering footsteps and became one of the first African Americans to teach in a white school in Virginia. Over a year after Camay was born, on July 19, 1928, Calloway married his first wife, Winona “Betty” Coniker, who was very wealthy. The couple adopted another daughter named Constance. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in divorce in 1949. Later that same year, on October 7, Calloway married a woman named Zulme “Nuffie” McNeal. They lived in Long Beach on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. Nuffie gave birth to three daughters: Chris Calloway, Cecilia Eulalia Calloway, and Cabella Calloway. In the 1950s, Calloway moved his family to Westchester County, New York, where he lived and raised his daughters until his death. One of his daughters, Chris, became a singer like her father and joined him as he revived his Cotton Club act, touring with him. Chris closely followed in her father’s footsteps.

Chris Calloway was born on September 21, 1945, in Los Angeles, California. She was a respected American jazz singer and actress and an integral part of her father’s band. She regularly performed with his “Hi-De-Ho” orchestra from the 1970s until 1994. Her musical background and talent boosted her career, leading her to perform in several films. She starred as Minnie Fay in Pearl Bailey’s Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! and appeared as Brenda in the 1973 Broadway revival of the musical The Pajama Game, understudying Barbara McNair as Babe. Besides being known as a talented singer, Chris was also an outstanding actress, featuring in films like The Importance of Being Earnest, The Landlord, and The Doctors. On August 7, 2008, Chris died of breast cancer after a long battle, leaving the world to mourn the loss of another revolutionary singer and actress.

At that time, records showed that Cab Calloway had five children, but the world was surprised when rumors about another hidden child emerged. This secret child was none other than the famous Ja’Net DuBois. Before diving into the stories surrounding this secret, let’s learn more about Ja’Net DuBois herself.

Ja’Net DuBois’s birth name was Jeannette Theresa DuBois, but she was professionally known as Ja’Net DuBois. She was an American actress and singer widely recognized for co-writing and singing the iconic theme song “Movin’ on Up” for The Jeffersons and for playing the role of neighborhood gossip Willona Woods on Good Times. “Hi gang! Hi, JJ! Extra! Extra! Hear all about it!” Much about Ja’Net DuBois’s life remains a bit of a mystery since she was very private. No one knows exactly when or where she was born. Some speculate she was born in Brooklyn, New York City, or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to Ja’Net, she was born in 1945, though some sources suggest she was actually born in either 1932 or 1938. Ja’Net DuBois came from a poor African American family, and like many families of that time, they struggled to make ends meet. These early hardships fueled her determination to succeed and make a better life for herself and her family.

Details about her romantic life are sparse due to her private nature, but it is known that she was already married before she became famous. She married Sajit Gupta, an Indian American, in 1950. They had four children, although one later died from cancer. The marriage between Ja’Net DuBois and Sajit Gupta was troubled, and they divorced by April 1958, according to paperwork from the Brazilian Consulate. However, other sources suggest they were still legally married in 1964. After her divorce, just before starting her career in the entertainment industry, she met and fell in love with actor Brock Peters in 1959. While details about this relationship are scarce, it is believed that it encouraged her to pursue her talent. Although Peters married someone else, Ja’Net remained focused on making a name for herself in the entertainment industry.

A major turning point came when she landed a role in Lanford Wilson’s play The Hot l Baltimore in Los Angeles in 1973. While watching her perform at the Mark Taper Forum, TV producer Norman Lear was captivated by Ja’Net’s performance. Impressed by her talent, Lear decided to give her a chance. He cast her in his CBS sitcom Good Times as Willona Woods, the feisty next-door neighbor and best friend of family matriarch Florida Evans. This role was a significant boost to her career and helped her gain more recognition. Years later, she started her music label, Peanuts and Caviar, and released her album Again, Ja’Net DuBois in 1983. She also released a CD called Hidden Treasures, which featured the well-known TV theme song “Movin’ on Up.” Ja’Net excelled across different entertainment fields, earning love and admiration in the industry.

On February 17, 2020, DuBois passed away at the age of 74 from cardiac arrest at her home in Glendale, California. Her secretive nature meant that even her family was unaware of her many health issues. Her death deeply saddened the world as people mourned not just her remarkable talent but also her warmth and kindness. Her death certificate, released by the Los Angeles County Public Health Office, not only confirmed the cause of death but also revealed a surprising truth about her parentage.

Contrary to what many people thought, Ja’Net’s birth name—Jeannette Theresa DuBois—was actually listed on her certificate as Jeannette T. Calloway DuBois. This meant that she was secretly Cab Calloway’s daughter, who had died 26 years earlier. Instead of listing Gordon DuBois, who played a significant role in raising her during her teenage years, Ja’Net named the famous jazz musician as her father. For years, the media had portrayed Ja’Net as the daughter of Lillian Goude and Gordon DuBois. However, her death certificate revealed a completely different and startling story. This revelation led to numerous questions and speculation, adding a new layer of mystery to her background. It was an unexpected twist that no one saw coming, and sadly, Ja’Net was not alive to defend the alleged claim.

The news caused a media frenzy as journalists scrambled to uncover the truth. The public was intrigued by the idea that Ja’Net was Cab Calloway’s daughter. To clarify the situation, Ja’Net’s daughter decided to set the record straight. She gave an interview confirming that Ja’Net was indeed the child of both Lillian and Cab Calloway, shedding light on the hidden aspects of her mother’s life. This suggested that Ja’Net’s mother, Lillian, might have had a relationship with Cab before Ja’Net was born. It was rumored that Cab, who was already married at the time, was involved with Lillian while he was still married in 1928. Lillian worked at a sweater factory, which was around the time Cab was rising to fame in the music industry. Two years after Ja’Net’s birth, Lillian married Gordon DuBois, who became Ja’Net’s stepfather and played a significant role in raising her. Whether this rumor about Cab is true remains uncertain, as Lillian, Cab, and Ja’Net are no longer alive to confirm it.

Along with this revelation, Ja’Net’s death certificate exposed another truth: she was born in 1932, not 1945 as previously believed. The certificate also revealed she was actually 88 years old at her death, not 74. It is not uncommon for older actresses to alter their ages for career reasons, but this pales in comparison to the mystery about her real father. Given Ja’Net’s supposed link to Cab Calloway, the similarity in their talents as performers isn’t surprising. The saying “like father, like daughter” seems to fit here. In response to the rumors and the death certificate, Cab Calloway’s estate issued a statement. They expressed admiration for Ja’Net DuBois’s career but clarified that they were unaware of any biological connection between Cab and Ja’Net. The estate stated that the death certificate contained many errors and lacked proper verification, leaving the true nature of their relationship a mystery.