Great to see Cab Calloway recognized (and that smiling image of him, too.) I listen to his music often. I'm also enjoying this series, Lee. When I started reading today's post and saw Cab Calloway (The Blues Brothers Movie came to mind...) I thought of Mick Jagger and his ability to project hipness, albeit at a more conservative pace. The Rolling Stones were perceived as (more of) a threat to social norms than The Beatles in the early days, and The Beatles "cuter" but not hipper (at least as I remember it.)
Thanks, Greg! Mick and The Rolling Stones are a fascinating part of this. The Beatles, too. Years ago I read Keith Richards’ autobiography and I remember him saying that they were very inspired by the blues and just wanted to be blues musicians. This, of course, isn’t uncommon in that era. To me, it’s another example of the incredible influence of Black musicians in the early 20th century, which I think informed how we think of “hip” today. More on that later.
Thanks for this series, Lee. I’m loving the deep dive!
Thanks, Mike! More coming soon!
Great to see Cab Calloway recognized (and that smiling image of him, too.) I listen to his music often. I'm also enjoying this series, Lee. When I started reading today's post and saw Cab Calloway (The Blues Brothers Movie came to mind...) I thought of Mick Jagger and his ability to project hipness, albeit at a more conservative pace. The Rolling Stones were perceived as (more of) a threat to social norms than The Beatles in the early days, and The Beatles "cuter" but not hipper (at least as I remember it.)
Thanks, Greg! Mick and The Rolling Stones are a fascinating part of this. The Beatles, too. Years ago I read Keith Richards’ autobiography and I remember him saying that they were very inspired by the blues and just wanted to be blues musicians. This, of course, isn’t uncommon in that era. To me, it’s another example of the incredible influence of Black musicians in the early 20th century, which I think informed how we think of “hip” today. More on that later.