The actual year of Chick Webb's birth is disputed, but February 5th was certainly his birthday. In childhood he suffered from tuberculosis of the spine, causing stunted growth and deformity, but he fought his disability to teach himself drums, and moved from Baltimore to New York when he was 17, and by 1926 had his own band. In 1931 he became the resident band at the Savoy ballroom, which over the years regularly staged a Battle of the Bands competition where Webb's outfit would play against the likes of Benny Goodman or Count Basie, with the audience usually voting Chick Webb as the winner, as a result of which he became known as the King Of Swing. In 1935 he introduced the teenage Ella Fitzgerald as his vocalist, and also the young Louis Jordan. However, his health was a constant problem, and in 1939 he underwent an operation from which he failed to recover, and he died on 16^th June 1939 at the tender age of 34, a huge loss to the swing fraternity. Ella took over the leadership of the band until she went solo in 1942. Webb was a very influential figure, cited by Buddy Rich as an early inspiration. Acrobat has on catalogue a collection of his recordings under the title "Stompin' At The Savoy", which includes some recordings with Ella Fitzgerald. For full details click here.