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2007-2025

Chick Webb: The Rightful King of Swing

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Marc Myers
Dec 30, 2024
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The King of Swing in the 1930s wasn't Benny Goodman or Count Basie. It was Chick Webb. The drummer fielded, managed and drove one of the best dance bands in the country and held court at New York's Savoy Ballroom, at 596 Lenox Avenue, between 140th and 141st Streets in Harlem.

Webb's band was built to keep people dancing, and the swing he produced to do …

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