Calloway’s older sister, Blanche, was a singer and his idol. She was working in Chicago, in “Plantation Days,” one of the first major African-American revues. Blanche gave him advice, and, when the show needed a replacement in a vocal quartet for a singer who was ill, she helped Cab get hired. From there, he worked in some clubs, among them the Sunset Cafe, gradually building up a reputation as a good singer, and a reliable and likeable emcee. This led to an offer to front the Alabamians, an 11-piece band that had come to Chicago. The outfit played jazz and novelties acceptably; but when Calloway took the bandstand, things perked up considerably.