Cab Calloway - Old Man River

[MrAlGator]

absolutely fantastic!!

[Bflat1]

I wonder if he's a Dapper Dan man?

[MrAlGator]

Wow!!!!! So far I liked the versions of Dean Martin and Bing Crosby best, but this on is really surprising and top!

[spehizle]

Dude, after all that hair craziness, it returns to standard.

[BrownM53]

what an interesting version! Wow.

[gcpropertymanagement]

Class in action. Learn.

[TheZEROCRAFT]

Cab was a Pharaoh. I know it.

[ApotheosisJebus]

I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH I WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH

[funkk]

A great entertainer!

[Wajlonis]

At 0:51 Cab Calloway invented headbanging itself. Historical moment.

[dingledorf1]

@Wajlonis LOL I was just gonna say that!

[BigTymerPimp]

@Wajlonis He invented it in the Reefer Man video like 20+ years before this. lol

[songcyclist]

'Ol Man River don' run, or even roll, he stroooolllllllls! Cool.

[eceerTRey]

is he black or white?

[evange03]

@eceerTRey He's Black!

[diamonddust22]

the first of the head bangers

[wowsystemaeroacdc]

@diamonddust22 i was thinkin the exact same thing/!

[diamonddust22]

@wowsystemaeroacdc Lol, he is incredible on all levels

[stigler30]

this man invented cool

[gtrjunky]

@stigler30 Cab was cool before it was cool to be cool.

[madamerotten]

How can a river stroll?

[coordayaa]

@madamerotten

by moving ever forward slowly and relentlessly without real thought or a bag of m&m's to keep you goin'

[HailTheOri]

@madamerotten It encounters Cab Calloway and can't help but get up and form legs to move it's feet to Cabby's beat.

[ThatsABiggon]

@madamerotten, um, the lyric is a colloquialism for the motion of the stream... genius.

[alain451]

LA CLASSE !!!!!

merci au post !!

[zrah1092]

Now thats what you call an entertainer!

[1234as1]

LIKE THIS IF YOU THINK CAB CALLOWAY IS BETTER THAN EMINEM, RHIANA, USHER, LADY GAGA, JUSTIN BIEBER, KATY PERRY, AND ANY OTHER RAPPER OUT THERE

[LALOSERRxCORE]

He's so suave.

[twentynothing]

wow this is the happiest version of this song I've ever heard

oh Cab you live on!!!!!

[Joeyland]

The definition of style

[JubalCalif]

If the late great Cab Calloway had been any more cool, he'd have been frozen! THANKS so much for sharing this delightful clip with us! You've MADE my day & my weekend! :)

[PierceMedia]

Yes!!!

[jessupar]

what the fuck just happened?! he was just headbanging for nearly a whole minute, hair flailing all over, and when he stopps everything is in perfect place and order.

[Bloozboy91]

@jessupar LOLOLOLOL!!!

[cthulee]

If you want to get philosophical about this song...it's about how frail mankind is..no matter what race... I'm tired of living but feared of dieing..but ole man river just keeps rolling along...it's a positive thing. Hang in there, the song says. It's not just black folk who have to lift and tote...Latino, Irish, Oriental, women, children...Not all of us are rich white folk...BUT...we all have to work, put up with other's crap, and we hang in there..just like that river. And I love Cab Calloway.

[SaveBleachNaruto]

@cthulee

Not all white people are riche and evil you know

[jrockerdraughn]

@cthulee all white people rich?

you frickin racist

[coolcitt]

oh yeah btw who is old man river

[tom9011]

@coolcitt mississippi

[vHumboldt77]

only someone as great as Cab Calloway could turn such a sad song into an upbeat one! Cab, Duke, Count, Ella, Sarah, etc. ---i guess all of them share a special place in paradise! ;)

[saturnaspider]

Shame on Mr. Calloway for missing the point of the song completely. This song is about the injustice of black slavery and the indifference that accompanied it yet he's smiling!

[pyxiekit]

well i think he was adding a lighter side to that struggle by expressing that he's making it through and strolling along just fine despite those times he was a success and black

[saturnaspider]

That's one way of seeing it, I suppose, but it still comes across as a distasteful performance to me, as does Bing Crosby's (also up on YouTube). Compare this to Paul Robeson's dignified performance in the 1936 film, Showboat. My Dad used to sing this to me and the poignant irony of the song and it's subject matter made a big impression on me as a child.

[pyxiekit]

oh don't get me wrong i would MUCH rather perfer the original version, i would sing it ALL the time when i was like 4! but i just could see maybe his view on it, song meanings can change, maybe for the better sometimes

[Poperol]

cause surely every single second of the life of a slave is pain and depression.

[saturnaspider]

IMHO, Slavery is perhaps one of the ugliest aspects of civilization.

[effoff21]

That's because good ol' Cab kept his chin up. He didn't miss the point, he just didn't let it keep him down

[fntime]

There is no question, that this kind of

bebop does not do justice to the song,

he's missing the point. Paul Robeson,

for me, has the best interpetation.

People like you, though, make the world,

a horrible place. You are trying to correct

the injustices of 150 yr ago, you are fixated on an injustice, that has been

corrected.

If injustice bothers you, what injustice today should people be focused on?

[saturnaspider]

Actually, I think racism is still an issue and deserves focus. In certain ways there has been improvement but in others there has been digression, at least from my perspective.

[fntime]

saturn, maybe I'm wrong, but if I am then explain.

Not looking to argue or fight, but rather

understand your point of view. What issues of racism, are you offended by

and need correction.

Looking to understand, explain to me,

I'm listening...if I don't understand, explain,

Thanks!!!

[unvmsthang2012]

U R SOOOOOOOOOOOO RIGHT! I Love Cab Calloway. But, this kind of

bebop does not do justice to the song.

[unvmsthang2012]

Child abuse laws, wrongful inprisonment, unequal punishment for the same laws that other races break more frequently, thats just a few. I could go on and on and on........But who gives AFF!!!!!!!!

[Tommyhardrocks]

Dude if i could choose down beat philosophical misery or some super cool cat like Cab Calloway, i'd choose Cab everytime.

[coolcitt]

@fntime what the hell r u talkin bout with all this injustice to the song ok i no hes talkin bout all that sad stuff but he is cab calloway he is an up beat person who makes song fun just to be silly or for the hell of it so dont say he is doing anything bad cause he is who he is

[PierzStyx]

Sometimes though you just sing a song because you enjoy the damn thing and want to have fun with it. Not everything ha sto captured every deep philosophical point of everything. Otherwise everyone would just seem teh same song, teh same way over and over again.

[iam18iswearreally]

I love Cab but Robeson's version is quite a bit better, simply because he sings it with feeling, and gives it a sense of meaning. This song should never have been played to a jazzy tune.

[GwenAYF]

I was a child when Cab Calloway was at his height. My father knew him. I wish the schools, today,t aught the accurate stories of this period (any period). Old Man River is from the Broadway Musical, later film, "Show Boat," by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein. Paul Robeson sang it in 1936, William Warfield in 1951. It's not a "track" or a "cover." Many singers perform composers compositions, interpreting them as they wish--not "cover."

Signed--History Professor

[LynJegher]

My mother performed with him at the Apollo theather, and still, tries to show a bit of that era in her shows, here in Milan!

[vanriver11]

He has a lot of energy when he performs. I've herd the original several times and it is nice to hear another take on the track.

[madmax0]

this guy is next level hed blow any1 off this age out of the water

[vanriver11]

???

[600sixtysixBullets]

what a wierd motherfucker

[neopandorex]

they used to whiten him so much.. he doesnt even look like hes black on this

[om1324354657687980]

jim croce's version is better. sorry.

[MusicDude86]

Croce wrote and performed some great songs....but Cab Calloway OWNS this song!!!!!

[MrSinantra]

i think Frank Sinatra owns this song by far but thats personal choice i guess so yeh but i can see why you like this version the most

[OBIT3]

Yeh, this version doesn't fit the song at all, but it's still damm hot. It reminds me of Tina Turner's version of "Proud Mary", which is also totally wrong for the lyrics but still sounds great.

[MarkTheMagnificent]

his hair always looks so perfect, even after he's done violently shaking his head around like that.

[ac120479]

BAM! Such energy!

[speakeasyproductions]

opium was in full effect in this one..lol

[hophmi]

This is a little bit of an inappropriate arrangement.

[theOBAMAs999songs]

The Hardest Working Man... Mr Cat"Bojangles" Calloway. Amazing cat.

[MusicDude86]

Cab Calloway was never known as Bojangles....that was Bill Robinson's nickname.

[madmax8903]

Not a great version, imo, but certainly very energetic even as a comparatively old man.

[petephax]

Is this the same guy that sang "i wanna be rich"

[don77sicily]

yes it is im so sorry i been meaning ti answer your question for a while cuz i listen to this song eveyday!! = )

[assbiteutube]

I love it

[xfactor5492]

umm...this is aweful, he talks half of it and the other half he is making ridiculous facial expressions with weird hand movements.

[MegaMacTV]

Its called feeling the music.

[DrStrangefate]

You must not know cab.......and this is awesome

[DrStrangefate]

And you do realize Bing Crosby did the same thing...both genius musiciancs for their era

[Duplicity11]

It's Cab Calloway. This is just his style. If you don't like it don't listen to it.

[skinnerburgers]

This is the fast version of Showboat.

[pinkamos]

This man is a joke! does not do the song justice. I like paul roberson and ben crosby better

[Tarresan]

On crack? Don't blaspheme against Cab Calloway, this man was from an era with style when musicians performed music and EARNED money.

[koreaussie]

Good old Cab never fails to entertain.

[putmyguitarawaymummy]

hahahahaha!!!this is cool as shit!

awesome man with crazy stlye!!!

[applesauce819]

is this guy on crack?

[cldbandjake]

NO!!!!!!

[MegaMacTV]

YES!!!!!!

[srv3355]

This is INSANE! You guys are nuts This is the craziest shit I have ever seen!

[rhomboidvideos]

This seems a little demented, to be honest.

[GS336]

Cab Calloway>Everybody Else

[dthmnstr]

he be headbanging and shizz cab is the dude!!!

[MegaMan8778]

AWESOME Song

[Rokzanne]

you cant judge him by this song you can tell he don't want to be there, compared to the way he usually performs it seems a bit forced it hasnt got anything to do with age because he did some great shows after this

[smrfox99]

Cab is the man, nuff' said.

[AcePilot101]

If you don't love Cab Calloway, you're square daddy-o!

[Rabies96]

I think Cab Calloway is the closest a sane person can get to being insane.

[blockra55]

That is very clever and very funny!

[DementedCaver]

I think that would technically be the term for genius. IMO  ;-)

[CuToTheChulainn]

Hear Here!!

[cldbandjake]

??????????

[joewalshman]

Calloway was a legend!!

[54spiritedwill54]

The guy looks like hes out of his mind.

[Resendiz]

dont give your opinion because it will be given a thumbs down =(

[LizzyDouglas]

Before commenting, please first study this 'great one' and the way he performed already before WW2 !! Than you may give us your comment.

[credman]

This guy is a riot.

[mrtyles]

this makes me laugh every time i see it.

[Resendiz]

(whispers) old man rivah ... STROOOOOOOOLLLLLNG ALONG!!! >;0

hahaa

[herminestover]

You might mean you prefer William Warfield's version. But say! who would ever have thought an upbeat version of this was even POSSIBLE? and did you see the way he works his CONK? I say Cab Calloway is the berries!

[fferocious]

Sorry, but I'll take Paul Robeson's version.

[lefemmerachael]

OOOOOOH LALALA Coolist dude in the known universe!

[Resendiz]

you mean Cookooiest

[LBW999]

Most definitely, hehehe.

[mrtyles]

what an artist! standards in music today are an all time low.

[Benmicheal342]

brutal head bang at 00:52

[freshprince7653]

you're a fag ben michael and you should die, fag

gay emo fag

[Benmicheal342]

haha if you only knew

[freshprince7653]

I'm only Krieging you

[Sshelly34213]

stop using gay and fag as a synonim for bad

[Resendiz]

lol looks like hes ROCKING ALONG!

that ol man river he juss keeps ROCKING AAAALOOOONNGGG!

wHAT A GOOD WAY TO KILL THIS SONG. Horrible yet entertaining

[strapingyounglad]

You can't just look at a song and say, "well that's it, it's done, there's nothing more to do." He's ingenious.

[Resendiz]

i sure as hell can. Its not the song that i think is horrible, its the performance. Sinatra did a great version of this song.

So what the hell do you mean "thats it, its done theres nothing more to do"???

[ParadiddleMcFlam]

This is a great rendition. I agree with you. There seems to be a youtube fight over this song. check out the Bing Crosby version. People say they hate Crosby's as well--because it is not sad and weary like it is "supposed" to be.

[blockra55]

Let's remember this is a show tune written by two white Jews!

[MezzyMezzy]

Yeah Man! For Real Tho!

[ToddCMorgan]

Sure, it's not a good version of the song, but Cab Calloway is still a genius! If you don't know that, you should listen to his early recordings, if you don't like them, you don't like music. Listen to songs like Minnie the Moocher, The Reefer Man, St. Louis Blues, Kickin' the Gong Around, Jitter Bug, Zaz Zuh Zaz, Chinese Rhythm, or The Man From Harlem, and tell me they're not some of the best old time jazz songs you've ever heard!

[Resendiz]

oh please, everyone throws out the word genius out there like its the thing to do. Hes a good singer, but he KILLED this song. Dean Martin did a fast paced song and it came out great and so did Bing. Its not the pace of the song im complaining about its the performance and over the top singing that is being shown here.

[treesew]

Sure, it's not the classic emotional version of "Old Man River" but it's Cab Calloway, there's going to be ALOT of energy pumping. listen to his discography and then you'll understand the man's Crazy ingenius mind!

[Warcorpse666]

Well that's one way to completly butcher a great song.

[Resendiz]

hehe, nice choice of wording there. Such a great song... whats more surprising is that he is a great singer too, but what the hell was he thinking. I think that the people around him were too afraid to tell him the truth

[Maribee1CD]

In a way you are right...but you have to know Cab Caloways style... I agree it wasn't the best pick for him. Still is history! Peace!

[manokiller]

Agreed

[freshprince7653]

dont be a douchebag he's great

[spicyhater]

thank god for ed sullivan

[Resendiz]

this is one of the worst versions i have ever seen (if not THE worst). The guy looks like hes out of his f'n mind.