Rarified Heir Podcast Episode #117: Josh Langsam (Cab Calloway)

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Josh Langsam, the grandson of the one and only Cab Calloway. Now aside from having a great name, Josh tells host Josh Mills about the legacy, the history and the future of one of America’s greatest entertainers of all-time. Starting in the 1920’s Cab Calloway was a band leader, performer, author, singer, actor, song writer and his  influence ranged from live performances, recorded music, film, animation, fashion – the guy did it all. He was the first black entertainer to sell one million copies with his signature song, “Minnie The Moocher” in 1931. He was also the first black entertainer to have his own radio show. None other than George Gershwin based the character Sportin’ Life from Porgy and Bess after Cab. Pioneering animator Max Fleischer invented the Rotoscope and animates Cab as a Walrus in a Betty Boop cartoon based on “Minnie The Moocher”. Are you getting the picture, yet?

We spoke to Josh about the Harlem Renaissance, the famed Cotton Club, the infamous Dizzy Gillespie spitball that wasn’t, how our host Josh’s family played a major part in Cab’s career, Cab’s iconic fashion sense and much more. Of course, we talk about Cab’s “Minnie The Moocher” disco hit in the 80s, the movie Cotton Club and indeed, The Blues Brothers, which introduced Cab to a whole new, younger audience and revitalized his career. If you’ve ever wanted to know what someone does or wants to do with a legacy/estate as an heir to a famous person, this is the episode for you. It’s very fun and frankly, an educational episode which hits upon both the entertainer and the man Cab Calloway. Take a listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story.