Speed ​​Webb

Lawrence Arthur "Speed" Webb (* 18th July 1906 in Peru, Miami County (Indiana) ; † 4. November 1994 ) was an American jazz - drummer , singer and big band -Leader.

“Speed” Webb took violin lessons as a child and then learned the mellophone and drums. At the age of 17 he formed his first dance band; then he studied music at the University of Illinois . However, he turned down the career as an entrepreneur planned by his parents and played from 1925 with the Hoosier Melody Lads , a newly formed eight-member band in Muncie (Indiana) . With his own orchestra, a Territory Band , in which the pianist Alex Hill and the trumpeter Reunald Jones also played, he mainly performed in Forest Park in Toledo (Ohio) , later he went on tour to California, where MGM Studios made him work for Engaged film appearances, as in the film The Smuggler King of Manhattan (1928). After his time in Hollywood, Webb expanded his previous ensemble into a big band in Fort Wayne and brought some new musicians into the formation, including trumpeter Roy Eldridge and pianist Teddy Wilson . At that time he gave up the drum post and concentrated on directing the orchestra. In the period of the Great Depression after 1929, Webb's band successfully continued touring; under the name Hollywood Blue Devils it existed until 1938. After Speed ​​Webb had disbanded his orchestra, he began a paramedic training and later worked in South Bend (Indiana) .

Web links

• Jazz & Ragtime in Indiana ( Memento from December 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
• Speed Webb in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual proof

1. ↑ Washington University Libraries ( Memento of the original from May 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.