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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Lionel Hampton| image = Lionel_Hampton_photo.jpg| caption = Lionel Hampton at the 1979 North Sea Jazz Festival | image_size =| landscape = yes| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Lionel Leo Hampton| alias = "Hamp", "Mad Lionel"| birth_date = Birth date|1908|4|20 Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville , Kentucky , United States | death_date = death date and age|2002|8|31|1908|4|20 New York City , New York , United States| instrument = Vibraphone Drum kit|Drums Piano Singing|Vocals | genre = Swing music|Swing Big band music|Big band Mainstream jazz New York blues | occupation = Multi-instrumentalist Actor Composer | years_active = 1927–2002| label = Decca Records|Decca | associated_acts = Benny Goodman , Teddy Wilson , Quincy Jones , Louis Armstrong , Gloria Parker | website =| notable_instruments = Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 & ndash; August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist , pianist , percussionist , bandleader and actor . Like Red Norvo , he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musician s, from Benny Goodman and Buddy Rich to CharlieParker and Quincy Jones . In 1992, he was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame .
Biography
Early life
Lionel Hampton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1908, and was raised by his grandmother. Shortly after he was born, he and his mother moved to her hometown Birmingham, Alabama.cite news |last = Giddins |first = Gary | title = Lionel Hampton, 1908–2002; After 75 Years Onstage, a Well-Earned Rest |publisher = The Village Voice |url = http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0239,giddins,38597,22.html |date = 2002-09-23 |accessdate = 2007-06-10 http://www.pas.org/About/HofDetails.cfm? IFile=hampton Percussive Arts Society Hall of Famednbv.nbs9896y0- http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/learning_tools/hall_of_composers/hampton.htm United States Marine Band Hall of Composers He spent his early childhood in Kenosha, Wisconsin|Kenosha , Wisconsin before he and his family moved to Chicago , Illinois in 1916. As a youth, Hampton was a member of the Bud Billiken Club , an alternative to the Boy Scouts of America , which was off limits because of racial segregation .cite book| last = Ehrenhalt| first = Alan| authorlink = Alan Ehrenhalt| title = The Lost City: The Forgotten Virtues of Community in America | publisher = Basic Books| year = 1996| page = 152| doi = | isbn = 0-465-04193-0 During the 1920s—while still a teenager—Hampton took xylophone lessons from Jimmy Bertrand and started playing Drum kit|drums .cite book| last = Yanow| first = Scott| authorlink = Scott Yanow| title = Classic Jazz| publisher = Backbeat Books| year = 2001| page = 94| doi = | isbn = 0-87930-659-9 Hampton was raised Roman Catholic , and started out playing fife (musical instrument)|fife and drum at the Holy Rosary Academy near Chicago."Ibid"; Voce, Stevecite news|url= http://news.google.com/newspapers? id=jWNlAAAAIBAJ& sjid=6IkNAAAAIBAJ& pg=2442,2795692& hl=en|title=Nun Taught Hampton|date=17 January 1958|publisher=The Vancouver Sun|accessdate=29 October 2011
Early career
Lionel Hampton began his career playing drums for the Chicago Defender Newsboys' Band (led by Major N. Clark Smith) while still a teenager in Chicago. He moved to California in 1927 or 1928, playing drums for the Dixieland Blues-Blowers. He made his recording debut with The Quality Serenaders led by Paul Howard, then left for Culver City and drummed for the Les Hite band at Sebastian's Cotton Club. During this period he began practicing on the vibraphone . In 1930 Louis Armstrong came to California and hired the Les Hite band, asking Hampton if he would play vibes on two songs. So began his career as a vibraphonist, popularizing the use of the instrument ever since. Ibid"; Yanow, Scott
While working with the Les Hite band, Hampton also occasionally did some performing with Nat Shilkret and his orchestra. During the early 1930s he studied music at the University of Southern California . In 1934 he led his own orchestra, and then appeared in the 1936 Bing Crosby film Pennies From Heaven alongside Louis Armstrong (wearing a mask in a scene while playing drums).cite book| last = Britt| first = Stan| authorlink = Stan Britt| title = Dexter Gordon: A Musical Biography | publisher = Da Capo Press| year = 1989| page = 31| doi = | isbn = 0-306-80361-5
Quote box|width=300px|quote=As far as I'm concerned, what he did in those days—and they were hard days in 1937—made it possible for Negroes to have their chance in baseball and other fields.|source= Lionel Hampton on Benny Goodman "Ibid"; Firestone, Ross p. 183-184.| Also in November 1936,"Ibid"; Yanow, Scott. Swing - The Third... the Benny Goodman Orchestra came to Los Angeles to play the Palomar Ballroom . When John H. Hammond|John Hammond brought Goodman to see Hampton perform, Goodman invited him to join his trio, which thus became the celebrated Benny Goodman Quartet with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa completing the lineup. The Trio and Quartet were among the first racially integrated jazz groups to record and play before wide audiences,cite book| last = Firestone| first = Ross| authorlink = Ross Firestone| title = Swing, Swing, Swing: The Life & Times of Benny Goodman| publisher = W. W. Norton & Company | year = 1994| pages = 183–184| doi = | isbn = 0-393-31168-6"Ibid"; Scott, William B. and were a leading small-group in an era when jazz was dominated by big bands.
Lionel Hampton Orchestra
While Hampton worked for Goodman in New York , he recorded with several different small groups known as the Lionel Hampton Orchestra , as well as assorted small groups within the Goodman band. In 1940 Hampton left the Goodman organization under amicable circumstances to form his own big band .cite book| last = Yanow| first = Scott| authorlink = Scott Yanow| title = Swing: Third Ear--The Essential Listening Companion | publisher = Backbeat Books| year = 2000| page = 68| doi = | isbn = 0-87930-600-9
Hampton's orchestra became popular during the 1940s and early 1950s. His third recording with them in 1942 produced a classic version of " Flying Home ", featuring a solo by Illinois Jacquet that anticipated rhythm & blues . The selection became very popular, and so in 1944 Hampton recorded "Flying Home, Number Two" featuring Arnett Cobb . The song went on to become the theme song for all three men. Guitarist Billy Mackel first joined Hampton in 1944, and would perform and record with him almost continuously through the late 1970s."Billy Mackel", The New Grove|The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz . ed. Barry Kernfeld, 1988. In 1947 he recorded " Stardust (song)|Stardust " at a "Just Jazz" concert with Charlie Shavers and Slam Stewart produced by GNP Crescendo Record Co.|Gene Norman .
From the mid-1940s until the early 1950s, Hampton led a lively rhythm & blues band whose Decca Records recordings included numerous young performers who later achieved fame. They included bassist Charles Mingus , saxophonist Johnny Griffin , guitarist Wes Montgomery , vocalist Dinah Washington and keyboardist Milt Buckner . Other noteworthy band members were trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie , Cat Anderson , and Kenny Dorham , trombonists Snooky Young and Jimmy Cleveland , and saxophonists Illinois Jacquet and Jerome Richardson .
The Hampton orchestra that toured Europe in 1953 included Clifford Brown , Gigi Gryce , Anthony Ortega (musician)|Anthony Ortega , Monk Montgomery , George Wallington , Art Farmer , Quincy Jones , and singer Annie Ross . Hampton continued to record with small groups and jam sessions during the 1940s and 1950s, with Oscar Peterson , Art Tatum , Buddy DeFranco , and others. In 1955, while in California working on The Benny Goodman Story he recorded with Stan Getz and Art Tatum for Norman Granz as well as with his own big band.
Hampton performed with Louis Armstrong and Italy|Italian singer Lara Saint Paul at the 1968 Sanremo Music Festival in Italy . The performance created a sensation with Italian audiences, as it broke into a real jazz session.Lara Saint Paul performs with Lionel Hampton and Louis Armstrong http://www.larasaintpaul.com/eHits.html Lara Saint Paul - The Hits That same year, Hampton received a Papal Medal from Pope Paul VI .
Later career
During the 1960s, Hampton's groups were in decline; he was still performing what had succeeded for him during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He did not fare much better in the 1970s, though he recorded actively on the Who's Who Record label."Ibid"; Yanow, Scott. Swing - The Third...
Beginning in February 1984, Hampton and his band played at the University of Idaho 's annual jazz festival, which was renamed the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival the following year. In 1987 the UI's school of music was renamed for Hampton, the first university music school named for a jazz musician.
Hampton remained active until a stroke in Paris, France|Paris in 1991 led to a collapse on stage. That incident, combined with years of chronic arthritis , forced him to cut back drastically on performances. However, he did play at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2001 shortly before his death."Ibid"; Yanow, Scott. Swing - The Third..."Ibid"; Voce, Steve http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-71251678.html Celebrated Jazz Artist Lionel Hampton Donates His Vibes To Smithsonian
Personal life
On November 11, 1936, in Yuma, Arizona , Lionel Hampton married Gladys Riddle (c. 1910-1971).cite book| last = Smith| first = Jessie Carney, editor| authorlink = | title = Notable Black American women: Book II| publisher = Gale Research, Detroit| year = 1996| page = 275| doi = | isbn = 0-8103-9177-5 Gladys was Lionel's business manager throughout much of his career. Many musicians recall that Lionel ran the music and Gladys ran the business.
During the 1950s he had a strong interest in Judaism and raised money for Israel . In 1953 he composed a King David suite and performed it in Israel with the Boston Pops Orchestra . Later in life Hampton became a Christian Scientist ."Ibid"; Voce, Steve He had a love for puppies and in fact owned 30. He named half of them Bill and half Sharon. Hampton was a Thirty-third degree Prince Hall Freemasonry|Prince Hall freemason in New York, also.cite book| last = Cox| first = Joseph| authorlink = | title = Great Black Men of Masonry | publisher = iUniverse | year = 2002| page = 176| doi = | isbn = 0-595-22729-5 In January 1997, his apartment caught fire and destroyed his awards and belongings; Hampton escaped uninjured.cite news| last = Barron| first = James| title = PUBLIC LIVES; More Fallout From Lamp Fire| url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html? res=980DE6D71F30F93AA35752C0A96E958260| accessdate = 2008-04-09 | work=The New York Times | date=January 9, 1998
Charity
Hampton was deeply involved in the construction of various public housing projects, and founded the Lionel Hampton Development Corporation. Construction began with the Lionel Hampton Houses in Harlem, New York in the 1960s, with the help of then Republican Party (United States)|Republican governor Nelson Rockefeller . Hampton's wife—Gladys Hampton—also was very involved in construction of a housing project in her name—the Gladys Hampton Houses. Gladys died in 1971. In the 1980s, Hampton built another housing project called Hampton Hills in Newark, New Jersey .
Hampton was a staunch Republican and served as a delegate to several Republican National Convention s.cite book| last = Jackson| first = Jeffrey H.| authorlink = | title = Music And History: Bridging The Disciplines | publisher = University Press of Mississippi | year = 2005| page = 102| doi = | isbn = 1-57806-762-6 He served as Vice-Chairman of the New York Republican County Committee for some yearscite news| last = | first = | title = Paid Notice: Deaths HAMPTON, LIONEL| url= http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/10/classified/paid-notice-deaths-hampton-lionel.html| accessdate = 2007-06-03 | work=The New York Times | date=September 10, 2002 and also was a member of the New York City Human Rights Commission."Ibid"; Voce, Steve Hampton donated almost $300,000 to Republican Party (United States)|Republican campaigns and committees throughout his lifetime. http://newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Lionel_Hampton.php Lionel Hampton, 1908-2002
Awards
2001 - Harlem Jazz and Music Festival's Legend Award
1996 - National Medal of Arts presented by President Bill Clinton
1995 - Honorary Commissioner of Civil Rights by George Pataki
1995 - Honorary Doctorate from the New England Conservatory of Music
1993 - Honorary Doctorate from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
1992 - Inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
1992 - "Contributions To The Cultural Life of the Nation" award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
1988 - The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship
with DeFranco and Peterson. Includes a 17 minute jam on "Flyin Home". There is also a 5CD box of the complete Verve recordings of the quartets and quintets with Peterson, as well as a number of other compilations and selections.
Verve Records
1955
Hamp and Getz
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Verve Records
1958
The Golden Vibes
with a reed quintet
Columbia Records
1958
Lionel
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Audio Fidelity
1960
Silver Vibes
with a Trombones And Rhythms (Trombone Quartet)
Columbia Records
1963
Benny Goodman Together Again!
reunion with Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson & Gene Krupa
http://contentdm.lib.uidaho.edu/hampton_collection/ Lionel Hampton Library Collection, part of the http://www.ijc.uidaho.edu/index.php International Jazz Collections at the University of Idaho#UI Library|University of Idaho Library
http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/lionelhampton.html Christopher Popa, "Lionel Hampton: Music Was His Fountain of Youth," Big Band Library
http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library? e=d-01000-00---off-0grant--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-600---20-home---01-3-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00& a=d& c=grant& cl=CL6.8& d=HASHe1c5be6eb1cf7e38f9c93e Interview with Lionel Hampton by Felix Grant in 1982
YouTube|lxfJQsdacMI| Lionel Hampton Band - Midnight Sun 1947, Decca 28059
http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/jazzfest/ Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at University of Idaho
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0359019 Lionel Hampton at IMDB
http://www.jazzhall.com Official website of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
http://www.jazzhouse.org/jpg/hampton/ Photos at Jazzhouse.org
Kennedy Center Honorees 1990s Persondata | NAME = Hampton, Lionel | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor | DATE OF BIRTH = April 20, 1908 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Louisville, Kentucky , United States | DATE OF DEATH = August 31, 2002 | PLACE OF DEATH = New York City|New York , United States DEFAULTSORT:Hampton, Lionel Category:1908 births Category:2002 deaths Category:African American musicians Category:American jazz bandleaders Category:American jazz vibraphonists Category:Big band bandleaders Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in New York Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Musicians from Alabama Category:Mainstream jazz vibraphonists Category:Musicians from Kentucky Category:New York blues musicians Category:New York Republicans Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama Category:Swing bandleaders Category:Swing vibraphonists Category:Timeless Records artists Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:University of Southern California alumni
