Release Date

02 Oct, 2012

Runtime

01:32: (HH:MM)

Synopsis

Born poor in Baltimore, Chick Webb broke his back as a boy and faced life as a hunchback dwarf afflicted with Spinal Tuberculosis. Someone suggested drumming as physical therapy, and Webb found his calling: at only 16 he built the hottest jazz orchestra in America at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom, one of the rare places where Blacks and Whites could socialize together. The artists discovered and mentored by Webb are extraordinary, but perhaps no star shines brighter than that of Ella Fitzgerald. Features interviews with those who knew or played with Webb and period footage.

Original Title

The Savoy King: Chick Webb & the Music That Changed America

Photos

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Actors

Rocky Carroll

Billy Crystal

Tyne Daly

Keith David

Duke Ellington

Ella Fitzgerald

Andy Garcia

Dizzy Gillespie

Danny Glover

Jeff Goldblum

Corey Hawkins

Ron Perlman

Janet Jackson

John Legend

Billy Porter

Crew