Chick Webb

Photo credit drummerworld.com

Photo credit news.allaboutjazz.com

Chick Webb (William Henry Webb) was born on February 10, 1905. He grew up suffering from tuberculosis of the spine, which gave him a shortened height and irregularity of the spine. It was suggested to him that he should play drums to loosen up his back, and he loved it. He moved to New York to pursue music when he was 17 years old, and had a band of his own after fours years. He was the drummer, of course, and he hosted many different things in Harlem. He held a battle of the bands in which another band would come and "challenge" his band to see which the crowd loved more. His was the first band that Ella Fitzgerald joined when she started her career as an artist. In the late 1930s, his health began to fail, and he eventually died on June 16, 1939, his last words being, "I'm sorry, I've go to go." He was such an inspirational musician who worked hard and played well, even though his condition left him at a disadvantage. Here's a sample of the Chick Webb Band Playing with Ella Fitzgerald.
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