Rarely are the offspring of famous, larger-than-life performers capable of carrying forward the musical legacy of their forebears with the same stellar level of talent and showmanship. Christopher Calloway Brooks, grandson of Cabell “Cab” Calloway, has inherited the dynamic stage presence and musicality of his grandfather. He embodies the Calloway musical tradition while bringing his own musicianship and style to each performance. Chris is an accomplished singer and dancer; he reanimates Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher” and “Reefer Man” with exhilarating gusto.
Chris was fortunate to have a close relationship with his parents and grandfather. His first television appearance was at six months old, on Edward R. Murrow's Person to Person on March 2, 1956. The surviving kinescope shows Cab Calloway at his home in Lido Beach, New York with his daughter Camay, cradling baby grandson Chris. Murrow asks the new young mother, “So, I understand Chris is the first boy in two generations—do you think he will be spoiled?” Cab Calloway grins and laughs with pride.
Chris always knew his grandfather was a bandleader, but Cab was originally his second favorite singer. “Burl Ives was my favorite musician as a child.” But he became acquainted with the highest of the jazz elite from an early age. “I was lucky to meet Duke Ellington when I was five—and Louis Armstrong
