Cab Calloway’s subtle but indelible influence on American culture began the moment he forgot the chorus to his own signature song. Picture the scene: The club is packed. Dancers fill the floor. Calloway steps to the mic and begins that new song he’s been dying to sing. He reaches the chorus. Something catches his eye. And he can’t remember what comes next. Always the consummate showman, he improvises with some scat. The crowd joins in. The rest is history.

That happy accident forever changed “Minnie the Moocher,” and introduced a piece of Black history to future generations. The “call-and-response,” an intrinsic element of African culture, was brought to America during the slave trade. Field workers incorporated call-and-response into their work songs, to set the pace of labor, but also as covert communication. It became a potent form of resistance, picked up again during the marches of the Civil Rights movement.

Of great pride to Calloway was “Minnie the Moocher’s” legacy for breaking the color barrier. Over a million copies were sold upon release and was played on both black and white radio stations. The story of a down-and-out opium addict, it seems, has universal appeal.

Calloway led what was arguably the most popular big band of the Harlem Renaissance and into the Swing Era. He replaced Duke Ellington as the headliner of the Cotton Club. The fact that his all-Black orchestra could play the Cotton Club but not enter as guests was not lost on him. As if in response, he took his band on the road, leading a successful all-Black revue through the deep South.

This episode of “Soundtrack to the Struggle” was written and produced by Ron Adkins.  Hosted by Hollis Monroe.

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Nina Simone’s career in activism began in 1964, when her songs openly addressed racial inequality prevalent in the United States. She recorded the still-controversial “Mississippi Goddam,” her response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church. That song, and others like “Old Jim Crow,” she said, were her first civil rights songs. They were a direct challenge to the status quo in race relations and raised her voice in the fight for equality.

Response to her music was, predictably, angry. She was boycotted in many Southern states. One Carolina radio station smashed promotional copies of her singles and sent the pieces back to the record label. Undaunted, the message of equality became Simone’s standard repertoire. Civil rights leaders frequently asked Simone to perform and speak at gatherings, such as the Selma to Montgomery Marches. She was invited to attend the historic meeting with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, along with her friend, playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

Nina Simone’s personality reflected her politics. She was outspoken and possessed an often volcanic temper. She sided closer to Malcolm X’s more militant philosophies than to Martin Luther King’s non-violent approach. She advocated armed revolution, if necessary, and the formation of a separate state. And though her songs, she said, were written “in a rush of fury, hatred, and determination,” she believed that, ultimately, all races were equal and could someday peacefully coexist.

This episode of “Soundtrack to the Struggle” was written and produced by Ron Adkins. Executive Producers Dennis Green and George Dorman. Hosted by Hollis Monroe.

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The work song has existed since the dawn of recorded history. Field hands, boatmen, railroad gangs, and even cowboys used the work song to lift spirits and maintain the pace of labor. During the American era of slavery, the work song evolved into something far greater. It became a powerful means of communication, resistance, and catharsis. Through call-and-response, field workers carried on a dialogue under the noses of their foremen. News was passed. Common complaints were shared. Uprisings were planned.

Improvisation was a common element in these dialogues, as were the field hollers and moans. As slaves converted to Christianity, their songs included appeals for divine deliverance. Over time, the work song included odes to the act of work itself – be it hard physical labor, the tribulations of a love affair, or the tortures of a tyrannical boss. This is the fertile ground where blues, gospel, and jazz took root.

Trumpeter Nat Adderley understood the depth of his musical roots, and in 1960 wrote his own “Work Song.” All the traditional tropes are there – the call-and-response, the bemoaning of labor, the improvisation. Oscar Brown, Jr. added poignant lyrics, making this “Work Song” a testament to the struggles of the past and the labor still to be done.

This episode of “Soundtrack to the Struggle” was written and produced by Ron Adkins. Executive Producers Dennis Green and George Dorman. Hosted by Hollis Monroe.

Podcast (soundtrack): Play in new window | Download

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