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 Ghost of a Chance
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!
I thought at last I'd found you, but other lovers surround you
And "I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!"
If you'd surrender just for a tender kiss or two
You might discover, that I'm the lover meant for you
And I'd be true, but what's the good of scheming
I know I must be dreaming
The lyrics of Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra's song "I Don't Stand A Ghost of A Chance" convey the singer's immense love for someone who doesn't reciprocate those feelings. The singer expresses that they love this person deeply, even though they don't have a chance with them. They thought they had found this person, but they realize that others surround them. The singer knows that if this person were to give them a chance, even just for a few kisses, they would see that the singer is the right person for them. However, the singer recognizes that their desire is just a dream, and they know that there's no use scheming because they have no chance with this person.
The whole song shows the pain of unrequited love, where feelings remain unacknowledged and dreams remain unattainable. The singer is completely honest about their emotions, and their vulnerability is palpable. The song's mood is tender, and it conveys a sense of heartbreak that accompanies unreciprocated love. The song's melancholic tone combined with its romantic lyrics creates a bittersweet feeling that is both beautiful and painful.
Line by Line Meaning
I need your love so badly, I love you, oh, so madly
My love and yearning for you is immense and boundless
But I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!
Unfortunately, I have no real chance whatsoever of being with you
I thought at last I'd found you, but other lovers surround you
Initially, I hoped to be with you, but it seems that you have many other suitors
And 'I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!'
Thus, my chances of having you to myself are hopeless
If you'd surrender just for a tender kiss or two
However, if you were to give in and kiss me softly, you might see that I am the one for you
You might discover, that I'm the lover meant for you
Through that experience, you could realize that I am the one you're truly meant to be with
And I'd be true, but what's the good of scheming
If you chose me, I would be loyal to you, yet there's no use plotting since my chances are so slim
I know I must be dreaming
It seems that my hopes for a romantic future with you are nothing more than a mere fantasy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, Victor Popular Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind