Who was the earliest artist to have recorded instances of performing the dance manoeuvre now known as the 'moonwalk'; popularised by Michael Jackson?

There's no way to pinpoint exactly where the moonwalk came from, as dances tend to evolve and build upon previous ones. However, the earliest footage of someone performing a sliding, backward dance step that looks something like the moonwalk comes from the 1930s short films of Cab Calloway, a jazz and big bandleader. Calloway called it "The Buzz," but it was jerkier than and not as floaty as the modern moonwalk.