Cab Calloway is a vastly underestimated but towering figure in American music.
Born in 1907 to college educated parents - highly unusual in 1907 - Calloway was a handful for his mom, who sent him to reform school some time after his father passed away.
When he came back from the school, Calloway was old enough to have two major talents: he was very athletic and very musical.
He had an opportunity to play for the Harlem Globetrotters but decided to go with music. Good thing that he did.
Calloway became a sensational band leader who had a massive hit in 1930 with Minnie The Moocher.