Artist: Chick Webb
William Henry "Chick" Webb was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader. He was known as “the king of swing.”
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 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" style. Drummer Buddy Rich cited Webb's powerful technique and virtuoso performances as heavily influential on his own drumming, and referred to Webb as "the daddy of them all".
In 1935 he began featuring a teenaged Ella Fitzgerald as a vocalist. Webb and Fitzgerald performed hits such as "A-Tisket, A-Tasket". Webb's death in 1939 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.
Art Blakey and Duke Ellington 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.
Further information about Chick Webb is found here.
This content was excerpted from the Wikipedia article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_Webb, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
Chick Webb and His Orchestra / Harlem Congo
Chick Webb: Videos
Liza - Chick Webb 1938 LIV
Chick Webb Swing Mix (Live 1939)