The Savoy Ballroom was not only was a place dancers could be creative and inventive, but where musicians could be creative and inventive. When one goes back and reads the interviews from the dancers at the Savoy one can gain how valuable the band was to the dancers and the running of the Savoy. If the music was all wrong, every thing was all wrong and no one could do their moves. But if the band was swinging then the club was swingin’ and everyone had a good time.

 Band:

 The Chick Webb Band

 

The band was a vital part of the Savoy. It was important for the band to keep the crowd dancing and Buchanan always had a band ready to play. There was a stage where when one band  had to take a break another band could pick up. One of the bands that played at the Savoy was The Chick Webb Band named after the drummer Chick Webb. They played at the Savoy ballroom regularly.

 Singer:

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald and the Chick Webb band go hand in hand. She was discovered by Chick Webb after her success at the Apollo and was asked to be a vocalist in his band. She performed regularly at with the band at the Savoy. “One of the early “scat” performers, Fitzgerald found a place among the growing jazz innovators, making recordings with such greats as Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong. ” (PBS) Needless to say, the Savoy Ballroom contributed to her rise of popularity and fame within both the black and white communities.