The Lindy Hop: The Story of Jazz for Beginners Like Me…Song #5: Stompin’ at the Savoy by Edgar Sampson and Chick Webb and his Orchestra

Juke Box Love Song by Langston Hughes

I could take the Harlem night

And wrap around you,

Take the neon lights and make a crown,

Take the Lenox Avenue busses,

Taxis, Subways

And for your love song, tone their rumble down.

Take Harlem’s heartbeat

Make a drumbeat,

Put it on a record, let it whirl,

And while we listen to it play,

Dance with you till day –

Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.

Lenox Avenue is one of the main thoroughfares that runs through Harlem. Beginning at the tip of Central Park and running all the way to the West 145th Street Bridge, Lenox Avenue (since renamed as Malcolm X Blvd.) was the heart of the Harlem Renaissance. If you were to go there today, between W140th and W141st streets you would find a historical plaque that is all that remains of a block-long building called The Savoy Ballroom which was arguably its heartbeat. Imagine what it must have felt like to be newly settled in a community where, for many, it was the very first time they felt at home. Then, to sit in your apartment, windows open, or out on the fire escape that served as a balcony, as the night time air filled with the sounds of Chick Webb and His Orchestra or Dizzy Gillespie or Benny Goodman or Louis Armstrong, the giants of Jazz all playing the very best music of its time. There are stories told by young children of being able to listen to the music that came from The Savoy Ballroom while watching, with eyes wide, the silhouettes of the amazing dancers as they passed before the windows of that nightclub. All the while the Jazz greats played, the dancers danced and the Roaring Twenties seemed a dream come true for those who now called Harlem home.

The term The Golden Age of Jazz is meant to denote a specific period in time when many of the legends of Jazz first came into prominence and Jazz as a musical genre was introduced to the larger world. This time period was the 1920s and 30s. The place where many of the important events in the history of Jazz happened was Harlem. In Harlem, many of the most culturally significant nightclubs: The Cotton Club, The Apollo Theater and The Savoy Ballroom, all sat within a ten minute walk of each other. Of the three, The Savoy Ballroom was, by far, the biggest and grandest dancehall of them all. It took up an entire city block between W140th and W141st streets. The upper floor of the ballroom could hold up to 4000 people and it did just that most nights for much of its existence. The Savoy Ballroom was named after the grand Savoy Hotel in England. No expenses were spared on its interior design. It was opulent on purpose. Its mandate was to reflect the pride with which Harlem had come to view itself. The music played there reflected that. The serious dancing that went on inside of The Savoy Ballroom reflected that, too. The dancefloors of The Savoy Ballroom were no place for the timid, the meek or the clumsy. Some of the finest dancers in America cut the most jaw-dropping moves many had ever witnessed inside the walls of The Savoy Ballroom. So much so that it was reported that the floor was routinely replaced every three years due to wear and tear from the dancers strutting their stuff. The Savoy Ballroom was so long that there was room to install bandstands at either end. One bandstand was for visiting bands to entertain the crowd with their own brand of Jazz and Swing. The other bandstand was reserved for the house band led by the indomitable figure of Chick Webb. Between Chick Webb and His Orchestra at one end and the guest orchestra at the other, there was no let up when it came to music being played. The Golden Age of Jazz happened in real time at The Savoy Ballroom, and as it did, for a while all seemed right with the world.

Chick Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1905. Because of a serious health scare as a child, Chick Webb developed curvature of the spine, which stunted his growth and gave him the appearance of being hunchbacked. One of the exercises recommended to strengthen his back muscles was to learn how to play the drums. Webb took up the challenge of drumming, and by the time he was in his early twenties, he was viewed as one of the top Jazz drummers anywhere in terms of technique and creativity. In 1926, Chick Webb took his talents into New York City. Because of his health issues, Webb sought opportunities to play in a stable musical environment (as opposed to being in a touring band). This brought him to the attention of Charles Buchanan, who managed the Savoy Ballroom. He hired Webb to become the leader of the house band. Because the house band was permanently stationed at The Savoy Ballroom, it allowed Chick Webb the chance to entice a roster of Jazz players who were skilled at their craft with an offer of a guaranteed, consistent paycheque. It also gave them the time to practice and rehearse, and as a result, Chick Webb and His Orchestra became noted for the tightness of their ensemble playing. In fact, The Savoy Ballroom played host to several “battles-of-the-bands” contests in which Webb faced off with any and all comers. The most famous of these contests concerned a battle between Chick Webb and His Orchestra and the world famous Benny Goodman Orchestra. Those who were there all swear that Chick Webb and his crew wiped the floor with Goodman and his band that night. That Webb, a black man playing culturally significant music to the black community, defeated a white band leader and a predominantly white orchestra was a source of great pride for those who viewed Lenox Avenue as their community. Of the many people Chick Webb recruited to work with his orchestra, one of the biggest stars of them all turned out to be a young singer named Ella Fitzgerald. Chick Webb came to know Ms. Fitzgerald after she won the inaugural Amateur Night talent competition at the nearby Apollo Theatre. Ella Fitzgerald used her scat singing style as a vocal instrument that complemented the music played, and often improvised, by Webb and his band. One of the most famous original songs that came out of this arrangement was a song written by lyricist Edgar Sampson (who worked in collaboration with Chick Webb) called “Stompin’ at the Savoy”. This song not only paid tribute to The Savoy Ballroom and all that it symbolized for the people of Harlem, but it also gave out a salute to those dancers who were considered the best of the best by their peers. It is a song that has become a standard of the genre and is regarded by many as Chick Webb’s greatest original hit. Unfortunately, Webb’s health issues flared up as he reached his mid-thirties, and he ended up passing away at age 35. From the time of his death until the start of WWII, Ella Fitzgerald assumed the leadership of the orchestra and helped the Savoy Ballroom maintain its standing as the top Jazz venue in the world.

One of the things that made The Savoy Ballroom such a special place was the culture that existed within its walls. This culture manifested itself in two separate but very important ways. First of all, The Savoy Ballroom was an “open” nightclub, meaning that it was not segregated along racial lines. While the clientele remained mostly black, white dancers and musicians were welcomed inside. This atmosphere of tolerance helped to break down barriers of ignorance that had kept the races apart for far too long. It allowed an environment of mutual respect to take root. The result of this was that many orchestras that graced one end of the bandstand became integrated, long before laws were enacted to make this a legal way of living across the country. A second important aspect of The Savoy Ballroom’s culture came in the form of dancing. Many of the regular dancers became so proficient at their craft that they were given their own dedicated area of the dance floor that was reserved just for them. Around this roped-off area was a ring of tables at which some of the biggest celebrities of the day would sit to watch these dancers dance. People such as Orson Welles, Clark Gable and Sammy Davis Jr. sat and marveled at the creativity and athleticism on display. In turn, they went back to their studios and helped to promote those dancers by inviting them to become involved in film and stage productions that they headed up. The most notable example of this concerns a group of dancers who became known as Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.

When The Savoy Ballroom first opened, a security team was hired to ensure that criminal elements stayed away from the club. One of the security managers was a man named Herbert White. As The Savoy Ballroom established itself as a thriving dance hall, White began to notice that there were certain regular customers who came to dance who seemed to possess dance skills that were a cut above the rest of the patrons. White approached these dancers and suggested that they organize together as a group. The dancers agreed. They formed a dance troupe under White’s leadership that eventually became known as Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers. These dancers were the ones that were granted their own special dance area by White. It was also these dancers that the A-list celebrities came to watch. While this dance troupe was forming, practicing and honing their skills, a major world event was unfolding. Aviator Charles Lindbergh had managed to “hop” across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first person to pilot a transatlantic flight. Lindbergh’s accomplishment caused him to be granted hero status all across America and the world. Many individuals and organizations sought to pay tribute to Lindbergh for achieving this great feat. One such tribute was put together by a group of dancers at The Savoy Ballroom. There, they created an original dance in his honour which they named the Lindy Hop. This dance was made to be danced while the most energetic Swing music was being played. As the dance began to be performed on stages beyond The Savoy Ballroom, the dance troupe gained instant fame and became known around the world as Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers. The men and women who comprised this troupe became the acknowledged leaders of the Lindy Hop dance style. They performed together long after Chick Webb passed away. In fact, they stayed together until the onset of WWII when the male members of The Lindy Hoppers were drafted into the Armed Forces and sent overseas to fight.

The Savoy Ballroom closed its doors for the final time in 1958. By this time, the neighborhood of Harlem was entering a period of decline. Civic pride had been replaced by a sense of malaise at the state of race relations in New York and across the rest of America that didn’t seem to be getting any better. This spirit of pessimism gave way to a lack of care for the physical properties in Harlem. Crime rose. Homelessness seemed to spiral out of control. The political powers that be in the mayor’s office decided that one way to combat homelessness and get drug use and other criminal activity off of the streets was to build more affordable housing complexes. One of the places they sought to do this was the block between W140th and W141st streets, the home of The Savoy Ballroom. By that time, the glory days of The Savoy Ballroom were far behind it. Because of the historical and cultural importance of the building, a large grassroots campaign was organized in an attempt to save the building from the wrecking ball. That attempt failed. The Savoy Ballroom had its interior decor picked clean, with its decorative fixtures distributed throughout Harlem and America. Stripped of its glory, the bricks and glass and mortar that formed its shell were knocked down and hauled away as garbage. In its place, a housing complex known as the Delano Village Housing Complex was built. All that remains of The Savoy Ballroom is an historical plaque marking its former location. The heartbeat of Harlem is gone. A glorious chapter in its history has closed. 

***This post has been written with much respect and admiration for those who made the music that filled The Savoy Ballroom, those who danced the nights away there and for all those who listened and watched it all with pride from the outside. It seems like it must have been a grand and glorious time for all concerned. Thanks for everything. Blessings to you all.

The link to an official archival website for The Savoy Ballroom can be found here. ***Check out plans for creating a virtual version of The Savoy Ballroom.

The link to the official website for drummer and bandleader Chick Webb can be found here. 

The link to the instrumental and vocal versions of “Stompin’ at the Savoy” by Edgar Sampson and Chick Webb and His Orchestra can be found here and here.

The link to a video that shows Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers in action can be found here. ***This scene is from a movie called Hellzapoppin. Incredible dancing!

The link to a video of an interview with two members of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, Norma Miller and Frankie Manning regarding the Battle of the Bands contest between Chick Webb and Benny Goodman can be found here.

The link to a video that describes the historical and cultural significance of The Savoy Ballroom can be found here.

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