16 Facts About Chick Webb

William Henry "Chick" Webb was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader.

In 1939, The New York Times stated that Chick Webb was born in 1907, the year suggested in Rhythm on Record by Hilton Schleman.

Chick Webb was one of four children; the other three were sisters.

Chick Webb supported himself as a newspaper boy to save enough money to buy drums, and first played professionally at age 11.

Chick Webb alternated between band tours and residencies at New York City clubs through the late 1920s.

Chick Webb became one of the best-regarded bandleaders and drummers of the new "swing" style.

Chick Webb was unable to read music, and instead memorized the arrangements played by the band and conducted from a platform in the center.

Chick Webb used custom-made pedals, goose-neck cymbal holders, a 28-inch bass drum and other percussion instruments.

At the Savoy, Chick Webb competed in battle of the bands contests with the Benny Goodman Orchestra and the Count Basie Orchestra.

Chick Webb married Martha Loretta Ferguson, and in 1935 he began featuring a teenaged Ella Fitzgerald as a vocalist.

In November 1938, Chick Webb's health began to decline; for a time he continued to play, refusing to give up touring so that his band could remain employed during the Great Depression.

Chick Webb disregarded his own discomfort and fatigue, which often found him passing out from physical exhaustion after finishing sets.

Chick Webb died from Pott disease on June 16,1939, in Baltimore.

Art Blakey and Duke Ellington both credited Chick Webb with influencing their music.

Gene Krupa credited Chick Webb with raising drummer awareness and paving the way for drummer-led bands like his own.

Chick Webb's thundering solos created a complexity and an energy that paved the way for Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson.