Named for Harlem's iconic Savoy Ballroom, this swing-era jazz standard served as the theme song for the dance hall's house band, led by drummer Chick Webb - but another orchestra had dibs on it first. In 1933, Edgar Sampson played sax for Earl Magee's orchestra at the Empire Ballroom and composed the lively number to showcase the trumpet skills of his bandmate Rex Stewart. After the band broke up, Sampson took the song with him to the Savoy, where he joined Webb's group and took on duties as a composer and arranger. Webb was the first act to take the instrumental to the pop charts (with Mario Bauza taking the trumpet solo), where it peaked at #10 in 1934. The single was re-issued in 1936 and hit #18.
Along with Sampson and Webb, Benny Goodman is often credited as a composer on the tune, having released two hit renditions in 1936 (#11) and 1937 (#4) that built upon Sampson's basic arrangement. Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra also found success with it in 1936 with a #12 entry.
In his posthumously released autobiography Boy Meets Horn (1991), Rex Stewart lamented not receiving a composer credit for the original, untitled tune, which he claimed was a collaboration between himself, Sampson, and trombonist Nelson Hurd. He explained how songs came together when he and Sampson played in Earl Magee's orchestra: "Edgar Sampson, who was chief arranger for the band, would listen when some fellows set a riff. Then we'd all fool around, straining to make it complete as we worked out a bridge or release. By the time the band broke up, we had ten or so numbers which were originals, played only by us. But of all that music later attributed to Sampson and Goodman and Webb, I am particularly sorry that I was not given credit for the bridge of 'Stompin' At The Savoy.' How I regret not having that standard included in my ASCAP catalog!"
Stewart made the same claims in a 1966 interview with Down Beat magazine, which elicited a response from Sampson, who replied he "never accepted credit for material I didn't write. It seems strange that after 30 years, Stewart and Hurd would have illusions that they composed 'Stompin' At The Savoy.'"
Located at 596 Lenox Avenue, the Savoy Ballroom first opened its doors in 1926 and quickly became a hotspot for jazz fans who tore up the dance floor with the Lindy Hop and The Flying Charleston. During an era of racial segregation, the Savoy was a rare example of a non-discriminatory institution that invited guests of any race. It also played host to jazz competitions that had resident Chick Webb battling against contemporaries like Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Fletcher Henderson. In 1958, the ballroom was demolished for the construction of a housing complex.
Soon after "Stompin' At The Savoy" hit the charts, lyricist Andy Razaf ("
Ain't Misbehavin', "Honeysuckle Rose") added lyrics that captured the excitement of a night out at the Savoy:
Savoy - the home of sweet romance
Savoy - it wins you with a glance
Savoy gives happy feet a chance to danceSeveral vocalists recorded versions with Razaf's lyrics, including Ella Fitzgerald (who started her career as the Savoy's house vocalist) with Louis Armstrong, Anita O'Day, Judy Garland, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Barry Manilow, and Harry Connick Jr. In 2007, jazz-pop singer Nikki Yanofsky recorded a version with Herbie Hancock and will.i.am.
Ella Fitzgerald also performed this with Frank Sinatra on his 1967 TV special, Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim.
In the 1953 I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined," fame-hungry Lucy Ricardo finally gets her chance in the spotlight with a "Stompin' At The Savoy" dance routine. Unfortunately, her optometrist gives her eye drops that nearly blur her vision right before the big number.
This was also featured in these movies:
I Capture The Castle (2003)
Small Time Crooks (2000)
The Grass Harp (1995)
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
The Benny Goodman Story (1953)
The Pride Of St. Louis (1952)
This shares its name with the 1983 live album by the band Rufus with singer Chaka Khan, which was recorded at a New York City rock club called The Savoy. The track is not included on the album.
