William Henry ‘Chick’ Webb became recognized as one of the world’s best traditional jazz drummers in the 1930s. Webb grew up near Madison Street and Ashland Avenue and eventually moved on to New York and beyond. During his career he recorded many sides on labels such as Brunswick, Columbia, Decca, Okeh, and Vocalion using the name Chick Webb and his Little Chick’s Orchestra, or the Savoy Orchestra. His band introduced the world to a young 17-year-old vocalist named Ella Fitzgerald. Some of their songs included “On the Sunny Side of The Street,” “Heebie Jeebies,” “Stompin’ at The Savoy.”
In honor of the drummer who died in 1939, the Chick Webb Memorial Recreational Center on North Eden Street was dedicated in 1947. Baltimore radio station WEBB was also named in his honor. Many albums of his reissued material were released in the ‘50s and ‘60s.