An arranger with Orville Knapp's orchestra, Chick Floyd left in 1937 following the bandleader's death to form a new group under the name of Knapp vocalist Leighton Noble. Based on the East Coast, the band featured both Noble and Johnny McAfee as male vocalists. Floyd and Noble's outfit was essentially a sweet orchestra, playing many of the smarter establishments and featuring a similar style to Knapp's, with exaggerated brass and unison saxes. The band also featured former Knapp vocalist Edith Caldwell, who happened to be Floyd's wife. Floyd played novochord, an electronic keyboard instrument.
In 1940 Noble and Floyd split. Floyd formed a new orchestra, but it never really got off the ground, losing many key musicians to the draft. Caldwell followed her husband but soon lost her singing voice. The couple divorced in 1942, and Floyd disbanded. He eventually moved to Hawaii, where he formed a new orchestra that featured Hawaiian rhythms. Floyd's outfit was successful in its niche, recording several albums during the 1950s and 1960s, sometimes working with exotica legend Martin Denney.