Lawrence Arthur "Speed" Webb (18 July 1906 – 4 November 1994) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
drummer and
territory band leader especially active in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Biography
Webb first began playing on violin and mellophone before switching to drums. By 1923 he was performing locally around
Peru, Indiana
Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,417 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County. Peru is located along the Wabash Riv ...
, and in 1925 co-founded the Hoosier Melody Lads, a cooperative band. In 1926 the band, led by Webb, had a recording session with
Gennett Records (of
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situ ...
), although no discs were issued. Later that year the band moved to California, where it had residencies at various clubs and from 1928-29 appeared in several films,
including ''
Sins of the Fathers'' (1928), ''
Riley the Cop'' (1928) and ''His Captive Woman'' (1929).
After 1929 Webb led a number of bands (see below), mostly as conductor but also at times as drummer and singer, up until 1938 when he retired from full-time performance.
Different lineups of Speed Webb and His Melody Lads, Speed Webb and His Hollywood Blue Devils and, between 1925 and 1938,
[ Schuller, Gunther (1989]
''The Swing Era : The Development of Jazz, 1930-1945'', p. 781. Oxford University Press
at Google Books. Retrieved 2 May 2013. Speed Webb and His Hoosier Melody Lads, included
Art Tatum
Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...
,
Henderson Chambers,
Teddy Buckner,
Vic Dickenson,
Teddy Wilson and his brother Gus Wilson,
Roy Eldridge and his brother
Joe Eldridge,
Eli Robinson
Eli Robinson (June 23, 1908 – December 24, 1972) was a jazz trombonist and arranger.
After working in Cincinnati in bands led by Speed Webb and Zack Whyte, as well as McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and making his first recordings in 1935 with Blanc ...
,
Reunald Jones,
[ Wilson, Teddy and Ligthart, Arie (2001]
''Teddy Wilson Talks Jazz'', p. 10. Continuum International Publishing Group
at Google Books. Retrieved 2 May 2013. Melvin Bowles, William Warfield, Samuel Scott, Chick Wallace, Leonard Gray, Steve Dunn,
[ Wilson, Teddy and Ligthart, Arie (2001]
''Teddy Wilson Talks Jazz'', p. 84. Continuum International Publishing Group
at Google Books. Retrieved 2 May 2013. with
Sy Oliver doing arrangements.
[
]
Discography
There appear to be no extant recordings of Speedy Webb and his orchestras.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Speed
1906 births
1994 deaths
Musicians from Indiana
American jazz drummers
American jazz bandleaders
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians