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.
Blow Top Blues
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, I've got bad news baby, and you're the first to know,
I discovered this mornin' that my top is about to go!
I've been rockin' on my feet and talkin' all out of my head,
Yes, I've been rockin' on my feet and talkin' all out of my head,
Yes, and when I get through talkin', can't remember a thing I said!
Now I'm walkin' down Broadway wearin' nothin' but a smile!
I see all kinds o' little men, although they're never there!
I try to push the "A" trail and put whisky in my hair!
I'm a girl you can't excuse,
I've got those blow top blues.
Last night I was five feet tall, today I'm eight feet ten,
And every time I fall down stairs I float right up again!
When someone turned the lights on me, it like to drove me blind,
I woke up in Belle Vue, but I left my mind behind!
I'm a gal who blew a fuse,
I've got those blow top blues.
In Lionel Hampton & His Septet's song Blow Top Blues, the singer is experiencing a mental breakdown and is alerting their partner that they are the first to know about their current state. They explain that they have recently discovered that their "top is about to go," implying that they are on the verge of losing their sanity. The singer describes symptoms of their breakdown, including being unsteady on their feet and speaking incoherently. They also mention hallucinations they are experiencing, such as seeing imaginary men and trying to put whiskey in their hair. The lyrics convey a sense of confusion and frustration, as the singer recognizes the severity of their condition but is struggling to control it.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I've got those blow top blues," emphasizing the singer's overwhelming sense of anxiety and turmoil. The verses also emphasize the singer's loss of control and the physical toll that their breakdown is taking on them. They describe feeling like they are floating and experiencing blindness in response to lights being turned on.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got bad news baby, and you're the first to know,
I have some unfortunate news, and I'm telling you first.
Yes, I've got bad news baby, and you're the first to know,
Yes, I have some unpleasant news, and you're the first to know about it.
I discovered this mornin' that my top is about to go!
I found out this morning that I'm about to lose control.
I've been rockin' on my feet and talkin' all out of my head,
I've been unsteady on my feet and saying things that don't make sense.
Yes, I've been rockin' on my feet and talkin' all out of my head,
Indeed, I've been swaying and struggling to form coherent thoughts.
Yes, and when I get through talkin', can't remember a thing I said!
And when I finish talking, I can't even recall what I said.
Used to be a sharpie, always dressed in the latest styles,
I used to be fashionable and up-to-date with the latest trends and styles.
Now I'm walkin' down Broadway wearin' nothin' but a smile!
Now I'm walking naked on Broadway, with nothing but a smile on my face.
I see all kinds o' little men, although they're never there!
I see imaginary people, although they don't really exist.
I try to push the 'A' trail and put whisky in my hair!
I attempt to take the 'A' train and pour whisky on my head.
I'm a girl you can't excuse,
I'm a woman for whom you can't make excuses.
I've got those blow top blues.
I'm experiencing severe emotional distress and a lack of self-control.
Last night I was five feet tall, today I'm eight feet ten,
Yesterday I felt small, but today I feel invincible and larger than life.
And every time I fall down stairs I float right up again!
Whenever I fall down the stairs, I immediately float back up effortlessly.
When someone turned the lights on me, it like to drove me blind,
When someone turned on the lights, it was blindingly bright and overwhelming.
I woke up in Belle Vue, but I left my mind behind!
I woke up in a mental institution, but my mind is still lost in confusion.
I'm a gal who blew a fuse,
I'm a woman who has completely lost her composure.
I've got those blow top blues.
I am suffering from severe emotional turmoil and instability.
Contributed by Julia S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.