William Henry "Chick" Webb (February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was an American
jazz and
swing music
Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands ...
drummer and band leader.
Early life
Webb was born in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, to William H. and Marie Webb. The year of his birth is disputed. The ''
Encyclopædia Britannica'' and
Allmusic indicate 1905, and this seems to be supported by census information. Other publications claim other years. During Webb's lifetime, a December 1937 ''DownBeat'' magazine article, "The Rise of a Crippled Genius", stated he was born in 1909, which is the year that appears on his grave marker. In 1939, ''
The New York Times'' stated that Webb was born in 1907, the year also suggested in ''Rhythm on Record'' by
Hilton Schleman.
Webb was one of four children; the other three were sisters (Bessie, Mabel, and Ethel). His sister Mabel married Wilbur Porter around 1928. When an infant, Webb fell down some stairsteps in his family's home, crushing several vertebrae and requiring surgery, from which he never regained full mobility. The injury progressed to
tuberculosis of the spine, leaving him with short stature and a badly deformed
spine
Spine or spinal may refer to:
Science Biology
* Vertebral column, also known as the backbone
* Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite
* Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants
* Spine (zoolog ...
which caused him to appear hunchbacked.
The idea of playing an instrument was suggested by his doctor to "loosen up" his bones. He supported himself as a newspaper boy to save enough money to buy drums, and first played professionally at age 11.
Career
At the age of 17, he moved to New York City and by 1926 was leading his own band in
Harlem. Jazz drummer
Tommy Benford
Thomas Benford (April 19, 1905 – March 24, 1994) was an American jazz drummer.
Biography
Tommy Benford was born in Charleston, West Virginia. He and his older brother, tuba player Bill Benford, were both orphans who studied music at the Jenki ...
said he gave Webb drum lessons when he first reached New York.
He alternated between band tours and residencies at New York City clubs through the late 1920s. In 1931, his band became the house band at the
Savoy Ballroom. He became one of the best-regarded bandleaders and drummers of the new "
swing
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
" style. Drummer
Buddy Rich cited Webb's powerful technique and virtuoso performances as heavily influential on his own drumming, and even referred to Webb as "the daddy of them all". Webb was unable to read music, and instead memorized the arrangements played by the band and conducted from a platform in the center. He used custom-made pedals, goose-neck cymbal holders, a 28-inch bass drum and other percussion instruments.
At the Savoy, Webb competed in battle of the bands contests with the
Benny Goodman Orchestra
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...
and the
Count Basie Orchestra. Webb lost to
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
in 1937. Although a judge declared Webb's band the winner in 1938 over Count Basie's, and Basie himself said he was relieved to come away from the contest without embarrassing himself, musicians debated the result for decades.
Webb married Martha Loretta Ferguson (also known as "Sally"), and in 1935 he began featuring a teenaged
Ella Fitzgerald as a vocalist. Webb and Fitzgerald performed hits such as "
A-Tisket, A-Tasket", which was composed by
Van Alexander at Fitzgerald's request. Despite rumors to the contrary, "Ella was not adopted by Webb, nor did she live with him and his wife, Sally," according to Stuart Nicholson in his Fitzgerald biography.
Declining health and death
In November 1938, Webb's health began to decline; for a time, however, he continued to play, refusing to give up touring so that his band could remain employed during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. He disregarded his own discomfort and fatigue, which often found him passing out from physical exhaustion after finishing sets. Finally, he had a major operation at
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1939. Webb died from
Pott disease on June 16, 1939, in Baltimore. Reportedly his last words were, "I'm sorry, I've got to go."
Webb was buried in Baltimore County, in Arbutus Memorial Park, in
Arbutus, Maryland.
Webb's death hit the jazz/swing community very hard. After his death,
Ella Fitzgerald led the Chick Webb band until she left to focus on her solo career in 1942, causing the band to break up.
Art Blakey
Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s.
Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...
and
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
both credited Webb with influencing their music.
Gene Krupa credited Webb with raising drummer awareness and paving the way for drummer-led bands like his own. Webb's thundering solos created a complexity and an energy that paved the way for
Buddy Rich (who studied him intensely) and
Louie Bellson
Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...
.
On February 12, 1940, a crowd of about 7,500 people attended a Chick Webb Benefit in Baltimore, Maryland. In attendance were Sally Webb, Chick's widow, his mother Marie Webb, his sister Mabel Porter, Governor
Herbert R. O'Conor, Fitzgerald and boxing champion
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...
.
Discography
* ''Ella Sings, Chick Swings'' (Olympic, 1974)
* ''Stomping at the Savoy'' (Proper, 2006)
* ''The Complete Chick Webb & Ella Fitzgerald Decca Sessions'' (Mosaic, 2013)
References
Bibliography
*''Spinnin' the Webb, Chick Webb, The Little Giant''. Centerstream Publications, 2014,
External links
Chick Webb: Baltimore's Jazz Giant Kennedy Center tribute to Webb
Chick Webb recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings
The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Chick
Date of birth unknown
1939 deaths
Big band bandleaders
Big band drummers
Swing drummers
Swing bandleaders
20th-century deaths from tuberculosis
African-American drummers
American jazz bandleaders
American jazz drummers
Ella Fitzgerald
Entertainers with dwarfism
Musicians from Baltimore
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
Jazz musicians from Maryland
American male jazz musicians
1905 births
Tuberculosis deaths in Maryland
20th-century American male musicians