Lionel Leo Hampton (1908–2002), was a U.S. bandleader, jazz percussionist, … Read Full Bio ↴Lionel Leo Hampton (1908–2002), was a U.S. bandleader, jazz percussionist, and vibraphonist.

Hampton was born on 20th April 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky, but moved to Chicago as a child, where he began his career as a drummer. He relocated to Los Angeles to play drums in Les Hite's band. They soon became the house band for Frank Sebastian's New Cotton Club, a popular L.A. jazz club.

During a 1930 recording date in the NBC studios in L.A., Louis Armstrong discovered a vibraphone. He asked Hampton if he could play it. Hampton, who knew how to play the xylophone, tried it and they agreed to record a few records with Hamp on vibes. Hampton is credited with popularizing the vibraphone as a jazz instrument.

In the mid-1930s, the Benny Goodman Orchestra came to Los Angeles to play the Palomar Ballroom. John Hammond brought Goodman to see Hampton play. Goodman asked Hampton to move to New York City and join Goodman, Teddy Wilson, and Gene Krupa who'd already formed a Benny Goodman Trio within the large band - to expand into the Benny Goodman Quartet. The Trio and Quartet were among the first racially integrated bands to record and play before wide audiences; they were just as well received at Goodman's famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert as was the full Goodman band.

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 the early 40s he left the Goodman organization to form his own touring band.

Hampton's band fostered the talents of Illinois Jacquet, Dexter Gordon, Ernie Royal, Jack McVea, Charlie Mingus, Monk Montgomery, Wes Montgomery, Quincy Jones, Benny Golson, Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham, Clifford Brown, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter, Joe Williams, Arnett Cobb, Earl Bostic, and John Colianni among many others.

Hampton's recording of "Flying Home" (1939) with the famous honking tenor sax solo by Jacquet, later refined and expanded by Cobb (1946), is considered by some to be the first rock and roll record. He was known for his tireless energy and his skill on the vibes, drums, and lightning speed two-fingered piano. The bars on the vibraphone are laid out like the piano; Hampton played both instruments the same way.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, Hampton and his band started playing at the University of Idaho's jazz concert, which in 1985 was renamed the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. In 1987 the University's music college was renamed the Lionel Hampton School of Music, the first and only university music college to be named after a jazz musician.

Lionel Hampton died of cardiac arrest at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York on 31st August 2002. He was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York.

A Foggy Day
Lionel Hampton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was a stranger in the city
Out of town were the people I knew
I had that feeling of self-pity
What to do, what to do, what to do
The outlook was decidedly blue

But as I walked through the foggy streets alone
It turned out to be the luckiest day I've known

A foggy day, in London town
Had me low, had me down
I viewed the morning, with much alarm
British Museum, had lost its charm

How long I wondered,
Could this thing last
But the age of miracles, hadn't past
For suddenly, I saw you there
And through foggy London town,
The sun was shining everywhere

For suddenly, I saw you there
And through foggy London town,
The sun was shining everywhere

Everywhere

Everywhere
Everywhere

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lionel Hampton's song A Foggy Day describe the feeling of being lost and alone in a new city. The singer is feeling sorry for themselves and unsure of what to do to change their circumstances. The outlook is bleak and everything seems to be going wrong, including the British Museum--a typically awe-inspiring place--losing its charm.

But then something amazing happens. As the singer is walking through the foggy streets of London, they suddenly see someone they know. This person brightens up their entire day and makes the sun seem to shine through the fog. The moment is described as a miracle, something unexpected and wonderful that turns everything around. The song ends with the word "everywhere" repeated three times, emphasizing the idea that the sun is shining all around them now, and that everything is suddenly okay again.

Line by Line Meaning

I was a stranger in the city
I didn't know anyone in the city.

Out of town were the people I knew
I didn't have any acquaintances in the city.

I had that feeling of self-pity
I was feeling sorry for myself.

What to do, what to do, what to do
I didn't know how to change my mood.

The outlook was decidedly blue
I had a negative outlook on my situation.

But as I walked through the foggy streets alone
Despite being alone, I decided to take a walk.

It turned out to be the luckiest day I've known
My day became really fortunate.

A foggy day, in London town
It was a misty day in London city.

Had me low, had me down
I was feeling depressed due to the weather.

I viewed the morning, with much alarm
I was scared of the start of the day.

British Museum, had lost its charm
Even museums lost their appeal in such a dull weather.