Chick Webb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other people named William Webb, see William Webb (disambiguation).
Chick Webb
Chick Webb.jpg
Background information
Birth name William Henry Webb
Born February 10, 1905 (disputed, see below)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Died June 16, 1939 (aged 34)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Drummer, bandleader
Instruments Drums, Gladstone Hand Sock
Associated acts Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hodges, Sidney Bechet, Van Alexander
William Henry Webb, often known as Chick Webb (February 10, 1905[1][2][3] June 1
6, 1939) was an American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader.
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
2 Last years and death
3 Disputed year of birth
4 Selected discography
5 References
6 External links
Biography[edit]
Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William H. and Marie Webb. From childho
od, he suffered from tuberculosis of the spine,[4] leaving him with short statur
e and a badly deformed spine; which caused him to appear hunchbacked.[5] The ide
a of playing an instrument was suggested by his doctor to "loosen up" his bones.
[6] He supported himself as a newspaper boy to save enough money to buy drums, a
nd first played professionally at age 11. Webb had three sisters: Bessie, Mabel
and Ethel. Mabel married Wilbur Porter around 1928.[7]
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 fir
st 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. H
e became one of the best-regarded bandleaders and drummers of the new "swing" st
yle. Drummer Buddy Rich cited Webb's powerful technique and virtuoso performance
s as heavily influential on his own drumming, and even referred to Webb as "the
daddy of them all".[8] 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 othe
r percussion instruments.[9] Although his band was not as influential and revere
d in the long term, it was feared in the battle of the bands.[5] The Savoy often
featured "Battle of the Bands" where Webb's band would compete with other top b
ands (such as the Benny Goodman Orchestra or the Count Basie Orchestra) from opp
osing bandstands. By the end of the night's battles the dancers seemed always to
have voted Chick's band as the best. As a result, Webb was deemed[by whom?] the
most worthy recipient to be crowned the first "King of Swing". Notably, Webb lo
st to Duke Ellington in 1937. Although a judge declared Webb's band the official
winner in 1938 over Count Basie's, and Basie himself said he was just relieved
to come away from the contest without embarrassing himself, surviving musicians
continued to dispute the ruling for decades to follow.[10]
Webb married Martha Loretta Ferguson (also known as "Sallyee"), and in 1935 he b
egan featuring a teenaged Ella Fitzgerald as vocalist. Together Chick and Ella w
ould electrify the Swing Era of jazz with hits such as "A-Tisket a Tasket,"[11]
which was composed by Van Alexander at Fitzgerald's request. Despite rumors to t
he contrary, "Ella was not adopted by Webb, nor did she live with him and his wi
fe, Sallye," according to Stuart Nicholson in his Fitzgerald biography.[12]
Last years and death[edit]
In November 1938, Webb's health began to decline; for a time, however, he contin
ued to play, refusing to give up touring so that his band could remain employed
during the Great Depression. He disregarded his own discomfort and fatigue, whic
h often found him passing out from physical exhaustion after finishing sets. Fin
ally, he had a major operation at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1939. W
illiam Henry "Chick" Webb died from spinal tuberculosis[13] on June 16, 1939, in
Baltimore. Reportedly his last words were, "I'm sorry, I've got to go." He was
roughly 34 years old.[10] Webb was buried just outside Baltimore, in Arbutus Mem
orial Park, in Arbutus, Maryland.
Webb's death hit the jazz/swing community very hard. After his death, Ella Fitzg
erald led the Chick Webb band until she left to focus on her solo career in 1942
and caused the band to disband.[14] Art Blakey and Duke Ellington both credited
Webb with influencing their music. Gene Krupa credited Webb with raising drumme
r awareness and paving the way for drummer-led bands like his own. Webb's thunde
ring solos created a complexity and an energy that paved the way for Buddy Rich
(who studied him intensely) and Louie Bellson.
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 mothe
r Marie Webb, his sister Mabel Porter, Governor Herbert R. O'Conor, Ella Fitzger
ald and boxing champion Joe Louis.[15]
Disputed year of birth[edit]
Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines and Coleman Hawkins are among sev
eral early jazz musicians whose birthdates have been disputed. Webb's birthday i
s generally believed to be February 10, 1905; however there is research that sho
ws this may be incorrect. The Encyclopdia Britannica Online had given two possibl
e years for his birthdate: 1902 and 1909. However, they have now tentatively ado
pted 1905.[16] Still other publications claim other years. During Webb's lifetim
e a December 1937 Down Beat article, "The Rise of a Crippled Genius,"[17] stated
he was born in 1909, and a book entitled Rhythm on Record by Hilton Schleman st
ated his birth year was 1907.[18] The New York Times reported in 1939 that Webb
was born in 1907. However, despite these varying dates, Eric B. Borgman has prov
en that Webb was actually born in 1905, based on the 1910 and 1920 United States
censuses and newspaper articles.[2][19] Many books and online publications, inc
luding the Internet Movie Database, have since adopted the 1905 year.[3] The con
fusion regarding his birth year can be seen on his death certificate, which has
"1907" overwritten with "1909." Webb's grave marker gives the wrong birth year o
f "1909."
Selected discography[edit]
Chick Webb: A Legend, Vol. 1 (1929-1936), (Decca Jazz Recordings DL 9222)
References[edit]
Jump up ^ American Rag, Uhl Tidings column, November 2005.
^ Jump up to: a b Setting the Record Straight
^ Jump up to: a b Chick Webb at the Internet Movie Database
Jump up ^ "Swing Music History", last accessed Jan 12, 2010
^ Jump up to: a b "Chick Webb". Retrieved 2012-12-06.
Jump up ^ "Chick Webb: Baltimore's Jazz Giant". Retrieved 2012-12-06.
Jump up ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2211&dat=19290112&id=zGNGAAAAIB
AJ&sjid=feUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5355,2604144
Jump up ^ "Buddy Rich Drummerman". Drummerman.net. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
Jump up ^ http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=11230#.ULhw-mCmAeN
^ Jump up to: a b Jazz: A Film By Ken Burns, 2000. Documentary miniseries. Direc
ted by Ken BURNS. USA.
Jump up ^ http://www.nathanielturner.com/chickwebbbio.htm
Jump up ^ Ella Fitzgerald; A Biography of the First Lady of Jazz, New York: Char
les Scribner's Sons, 1993, p.36
Jump up ^ Find A Grave
Jump up ^ http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_webb_chick.htm
Jump up ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8E9AAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RgMGAAAAIBAJ&p
g=3755,6412611&dq=marie-webb+chick+baltimore&hl=en
Jump up ^ "Encyclopdia Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
Jump up ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2
014-11-12.
Jump up ^ Rhythm on Record: Who's Who and Register of Recorded Dance Music, 1906
/1936, Hilton Schleman, Melody Maker Limited, London, 1936, page 264.
Jump up ^ Chick Webb Archived January 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
Spinnin' The Webb, Chick Webb, The Little Giant 2014 Centerstream Publications
External links[edit]
Biography portal
Chick Webb at Find a Grave
Chick Webb at the Internet Movie Database
"Setting the Record Straight" article
Chick Webb: Baltimore's Jazz Giant
"Drop Me Off in Harlem", Kennedy Center tribute to Webb
Authority control
WorldCat Identities VIAF: 198704 LCCN: n84007220 ISNI: 0000 0000 8079 5990 GND:
123318246 SUDOC: 115364404 BNF: cb139259754 (data) MusicBrainz: 8ecae52e-9c89-4b
61-99d8-ac11abc26771
Categories: Swing drummersSwing bandleadersBig band bandleadersBig band drummers
1905 births1939 deaths20th-century deaths from tuberculosisAfrican-American musi
ciansAmerican jazz bandleadersAmerican jazz drummersElla FitzgeraldMusicians fro
m Baltimore20th-century American musicians
Navigation menu
Not logged inTalkContributionsCreate accountLog inArticleTalkReadEditView histor
ySearch
Search Wikipedia
Go
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Catal
etina
Dansk
Deutsch

spao

Fraas
Ita
ao
Neder
ads
Nors bom

Nors yors
Portugus

Svesa

dt
s
Ts page was
ast modfed o 26 Apr
2017, at 16:50.
Text s ava
ab
e uder te Creatve Commos Attrbuto-SareA
e Lcese; add
toa
terms may app
y. By usg ts ste, you agree to te Terms of Use ad P
rvacy Po
cy. Wpeda s a regstered trademar of te Wmeda Foudato, I
c., a o-proft orgazato.
Prvacy po
cyAbout WpedaDsc
amersCotact WpedaDeve
opersCooe statem
etMob
e vewWmeda Foudato Powered by MedaW