Lionel Hampton

Lionel Hampton is one of the most extraordinary musicians of the 20th century and his artistic achievements symbolize the impact that jazz music has had on our culture in the 21st century.

He was born April 20, 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky. His father, Charles Hampton, a promising pianist and singer, was reported missing and later declared killed in World War I. Lionel and his mother, Gertrude, first moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to be with her family, then settled in Chicago.

He attended the Holy Rosary Academy, near Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a Dominican sister give him his first drum lessons.

Later, while attending St. Monica's School in Chicago, Lionel got a job selling papers in order to join the Chicago Defender's Newsboys Band. At first, he helped carry the bass drum, and later played the snare drum.

While in high school, Les Hite gave Lionel a job in a teenage band. Later, the 15-year-old Lionel, who had just graduated from high school, promised his grandmother he would continue to say his daily prayers and left for Los Angeles to join Reb Spikes's Sharps and Flats. He also played with Paul Howard's Quality Serenaders and a new band organized by Hite, which backed Louis Armstrong at the Cotton Club.

In 1930, Hampton was called in to a recording session with Armstrong, and during a break Hampton walked over to a vibraphone and started to play. He ended up playing the vibes on one song. The song became a hit; Hampton had introduced a new voice to jazz and he became "King of the Vibes."

When Benny Goodman heard him play, Goodman immediately asked Hampton to record with him, Gene Krupa on drums and Teddy Wilson on piano. The Benny Goodman Quartet recorded the jazz classics "Dinah," "Moonglow," "My Last Affair," and "Exactly Like You." Hampton's addition to the groups also marked the breaking of the color barrier; the Benny Goodman Quartet was the first racially integrated group of jazz musicians.

Hampton and his wife, Gladys, were married Nov. 11, 1936. Gladys served as his personal manager, and developed a reputation as a brilliant businesswoman. She was responsible for raising the money for Lionel to start his own band.

As a bandleader, he established the Lionel Hampton Orchestra that became known around the world for its tremendous energy, dazzling showmanship and first-class jazz musicianship. "Sunny Side of the Street," "Central Avenue Breakdown," his signature tune, "Flying Home," and "Hamp's Boogie-Woogie" all became top-of-the-chart best-sellers upon release and the name Lionel Hampton became world famous overnight, and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra had a phenomenal array of sidemen.

The band also initiated the first phase of Hampton's career as an educator by graduating such talents as Illinois Jacquet, Cat Anderson, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery, and singers Joe Williams, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter and Aretha Franklin. The Lionel Hampton Orchestra became known around the world for its tremendous energy, dazzling showmanship and first-class jazz musicianship.

As a composer and arranger, Hampton wrote more than 200 works, including the jazz standards Flying Home, Evil Gal Blues, and Midnight Sun. He also composed the major symphonic work, "King David Suite."

As a statesman, he was asked by President Eisenhower to serve as a goodwill ambassador for the United States, and his band made many tours to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East, generating a huge international following. President George Bush appointed him to the Board of the Kennedy Center, and President Clinton awarded him the National Medal of the Arts.

As a businessman, he established two record labels, his own publishing company, and he founded the Lionel Hampton Development Corporation to build low-income housing in inner cities.

In his continuing role as an educator, he began working with University of Idaho in the early 1980s to establish his dream for the future of music education. In 1985, the University named its jazz festival for him, and in 1987 the University's music school was named the Lionel Hampton School of Music. Nearly 20 years later, the University of Idaho has developed an unprecedented relationship with Hampton by ensuring that his vision lives through the Lionel Hampton Center, a $60 million project that will provide a "home for jazz," housing the university's Jazz Festival, its School of Music, and its International Jazz Collections, all designed to help teach and preserve the heritage of jazz.

His lifetime of "swinging" is well documented through hundreds of recordings, many of which rank among the best in jazz, and all of which will be housed and studied inside the Lionel Hampton Center in Moscow, Idaho, slated to open in 2006.
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Lionel Hampton, Michel Camilo, Marta Sanchez and more

by David Brown
April 30, 2024

Tonight, a pair of tunes from Philly's Brecker Bros.; a Latin jazz set with Michel Camilo, Rachel Therrin, Juan Tizol, Tito Puente and more; all followed by works form James Brandon Lewis' three most recent releases. We'll continue with a birthday set for Lionel Hampton and more. Welcome friends and neighbors to The Jazz Continuum. Old, new, in, out... wherever the music takes us. Each week, we will explore the elements of jazz from a historical perspective. Playlist ...

370

Multiple Reviews

Lionel Hampton Centennial

by Laurel Gross
December 12, 2009

Lionel HamptonCentennial CelebrationPablo/Telarc - Concord2009 Lionel Hampton Big BandThe European Concerts, 1953-1954Fremeaux & Associes2009 Lionel HamptonMostly BluesNimbus Records2009

Straight out of the gate, the first three tracks of Centennial Celebration show why Art Tatum is still the greatest and why the artful, entertaining and impressive ...

316

Film Review

Live in '58

by Ken Dryden
November 15, 2008

Lionel Hampton Jazz Icons: Live in '58 Naxos Jazz 2008

Lionel Hampton was one of the incomparable showmen in jazz, especially when leading an always-swinging big band. This 1958 concert, filmed by Belgium public television at the Royal Theatre Opera House, finds him in peak form.Many of the expected hits are missing, so this 58-minute performance likely represents only a small portion of the program, as Hampton regularly played two ...

446

Film Review

Jazz Icons Series 3: Lionel Hampton Live in '58

by C. Michael Bailey
October 23, 2008

Lionel Hampton Jazz Icons Series 3: Lionel Hampton Live in '58 Jazz Icons 2008Jazz ambassadors are hard to come by. The first was Louis Armstrong, whose personality was so big and warm it couldn't help spilling out on everyone close to him. Then there was Dizzy Gillespie, the uber- virtuoso whose grasp of vaudeville and the ideal of the total entertainer made him the logical heir to Armstrong. But chronologically between these ...

321

Album Review

Lionel Hampton: There Will Never Be Another You

Read "There Will Never Be Another You" reviewed by Jim Santella

by Jim Santella
October 12, 2006

Recorded in 1989 and featuring vocalist Sylvia Bennett, this studio performance captures Lionel Hampton in action with a big band, tearin' up those swingin' vibes. Hampton's 1989 band arrangements are outstanding. They pull everyone together, lifting each section up to its assigned role in support of the vibraphonist's featured spot. He carries each selection with vigor. Reeds and brass pack plenty of power, while the rhythm section swings. The use of electric bass and congas lend a contemporary charm to ...

368

Album Review

Lionel Hampton: There Will Never Be Another You Featuring Sylvia Bennett

Read "There Will Never Be Another You Featuring Sylvia Bennett" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone

by Michael P. Gladstone
September 15, 2006

How many living female singers can say that they sang with the Lionel Hampton Big Band? Sylvia Bennett auditioned for Hampton in the early 1980s and was immediately signed as the band's singer. She then toured Florida and performed with the Hampton Orchestra at the second Reagan inaugural as well as the same event for George Bush. Hampton recorded Sentimental Journey in 1985 with Bennett as vocalist, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1987. A second album, There ...

241

Album Review

Lionel Hampton: There Will Never Be Another You

Read "There Will Never Be Another You" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
July 30, 2006

Legendary vibraphonist Lionel Hampton auditioned Italian-born vocalist Sylvia Bennett in the early '80s, hired her on the spot to sing with his band, and subsequently recorded two albums with her. The first, Sentimental Journey, received a Grammy Award nomination, but the second, recorded in 1989 when Hamp was a frisky eighty years old, sat neglected for reasons unknown ever since and is only now being heard for the first time. And it's high time, too.

To state the case as ...

Video / DVD

Video: Lionel Hampton in Belgium, 1958

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 1, 2024

Sadly, Lionel Hampton's vital role in the rise of jazz, R&B and rock 'n' roll is all but forgotten. In 1936, Benny Goodman saw Hampton perform on vibes in Los Angeles and hired him for his trio with drummer Gene Krupa and pianist Teddy Wilson. They were the first A-list integrated jazz ensemble. Here's Hampton in the Benny Goodman Quartet in 1937... In the 1940s, Hampton led a first-rate band that included future jazz stars such as Illinois Jacquet, Arnett ...
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Video / DVD

Backgrounder: Lionel Hampton, 'Bossa Nova Jazz'

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 26, 2022

Bossa Nova Jazz: Lionel Hampton All Stars shouldn't work, but it does. Just looking at the album cover without hearing it leads you to assume that the bossa nova would be a stretch for a swinger and jump-blueser like Hampton. But its authenticity and sensuality exceeds expectations every time I put it on. It's really Bobby Plater's album. Recorded in September and October of 1963 for Hampton's own Glad Hamp label (and issued in Japan on Nippon Columbia), his all-stars ...
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Video / DVD

10 Lionel Hampton Videos

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 16, 2019

Up until the late 1950s, vibraphonist, drummer and band leader Lionel Hampton was on par with Count Basie or even a bigger deal. Hampton began his recording career in 1924, and played and recorded with Louis Armstrong before joining Benny Goodman in 1936. Through the late 1930s and into the '40s, Hampton was a member of the Benny Goodman Quartet and, with pianist Teddy Wilson, bravely introduced integrated jazz performance at the highest level during the swing era. In the ...
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129

Award / Grant

Whitworth University Jazz Ensemble Named Outstanding Group at 2010 Lionel Hampton Festival

Source: Michael Ricci
March 1, 2010

The Whitworth Jazz Ensemble was named outstanding group in the college/university division at the 2010 Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, held Feb. 24-27 at the University of Idaho, in Moscow. This is the seventh time in the past 14 years that Whitworth's jazz band has received top honors at the annual competition. Seniors Kurt Marcum and Noah Peller were named outstanding soloists in the categories of trumpet and bass, respectively. “The music department faculty is very proud of our jazz ...
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261

Recording

Lionel Hampton and Quincy Jones

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
September 12, 2008

The September Jazz Times has my rather long review of Mosaic's box of Lionel Hampton's small-band recordings from the late 1930s and early forties. The five CDs contain a sizeable percentage of the best combo music of the period. From the review:

RCA Victor's formula was simple: put the exciting young vibraphonist, drummer and two-finger piano player Lionel Hampton in a studio with various combinations of his peers and see what happens. With a few exceptions, these were lightly ...
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165

Festival

Classic Jazz Stars and Tribute to Lionel Hampton at 24th Edition of JazzAscona New Orleans & Classics

Source: All About Jazz
May 27, 2008

Ascona, Lake Maggiore, Switzerland - Once again this summer - from June 26 to July 6, 2008 - the wonderful Ascona lakefront will be transformed into a European New Orleans with the 24th edition of JazzAscona New Orleans & Classics. Ten days of great jazz, with sprinkles of blues, R&B, soul, Latin rhythms e funk; with over 200 concerts, more than 400 hours of live music, played by 40 bands of 250 musicians from all over the world and especially ...
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188

Performance / Tour

Stephanie Jordan and Jason Marsalis with Lionel Hampton Big Band at Official Centennial Birthday Celebration

Source: All About Jazz
April 9, 2008

NEW ORLEANS, April 9, 2008 - New Orleans jazz vocalist Stephanie Jordan and vibraphonist Jason Marsalis are scheduled to perform with the Lionel Hampton Big Band on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art/University of New Orleans. On the same day, the museum will also debut an exhibition focusing on Lionel Hampton to coincide with the centennial anniversary of Hampton's birth on April 20, 1908. His birthday will also mark the publication by State Street Press ...
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182

Recording

The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-41 - Mosaic Records Limited Edition Box Set

Source: All About Jazz
December 31, 2007

"Motored by a seemingly limitless supply of energy and stamina, Hampton's playing is known the world over for its relentless physicality, unhampered technical facility, and a seemingly imperturbale inventiveness." --Gunther Schuller, The Swing Era Would we know how jazz is played on the vibes without Lionel Hampton? He introduced the concept of personality to an instrument thought to be sterile and cold; showed how to solo with authority and accompany with grace; taught how to make the instrument express emotions ...
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131

Performance / Tour

Sylvia Bennett Starring in a New One-Woman Show: The Lady and the Legend a Musical Tribute to Lionel Hampton March 21st, 2007 at the White Plains Performing Arts Center

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
March 10, 2007

OUT OF SIGHT MUSIC, Inc. is very proud to present International Recording Artist and Grammy Finalist

Sylvia Bennett

Starring in a New One-Woman Show: The Lady and The Legend a musical tribute to Lionel Hampton

“Hampton found his vocal soulmate in Bennett and the chemical reaction the two conjure on There Will Never Be Another You is as inventive as it is entertaining"--C. Michael Bailey , All About Jazz

Out of Sight ...
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115

Festival

Celebrating 40 Years - The Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
December 19, 2006

Celebrating 40 Years - The Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho

The 2007 Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival marks a milestone Feb. 21-24 as it celebrates its 40th year of sharing the magic and spirit of jazz with new generations of students, teachers and fans.

The four-day event is a leading educational jazz festival and attracts more than 12,000 students from across the U.S. and Canada. The festival features student performances and concerts, workshops by jazz ...
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