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.
Bye Bye Blues
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never dreamed that it could be
But now I realize since I saw you smile
There's only happiness for me
So
Bye bye blues
Bye bye blues
Birds sing
Sun is shining
No more pining
Just we two
Smiling thru
Don't sigh
Don't cry
Bye bye blues
Blues
The first verse of Lionel Hampton's song, Bye Bye Blues, is about a narrator's surprise when they see someone they care about smile. The singer never considered happiness a possibility with this person, but their smile made it clear that it was possible. The singer's realization leads them to bid farewell to the blues. In the chorus, the singer repeats the phrase "Bye Bye Blues," signifying the end of their sorrow.
The second verse paints a picture of a beautiful day with bells ringing, birds singing, and the sun shining. The singer is no longer pining alone because they have this other person with them, smiling through their happiness. The singer encourages the other person not to sigh or cry and bids farewell to the blues once again in the final line of the chorus.
The song is about the transformative power of love and how it can change a person's outlook on life. The connection between the two people in the song is what brings happiness and banishes sorrow. The song showcases Hampton's trademark jazz style, which is effortless and smooth. It is an ode to the beauty of love and how it can make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a big surprise when I saw you smile
I was caught off guard when I saw you smile unexpectedly
I never dreamed that it could be
I never imagined that you could bring me such joy
But now I realize since I saw you smile
Since seeing your smile, I have come to understand that happiness is possible for me
There's only happiness for me
There is only joy and contentment in my life now
So bye bye blues
I am bidding farewell to my past sorrows
Bells ring
The sound of bells fills the air, signaling a new beginning
Birds sing
The birds are singing their happy tunes, matching my own joy
Sun is shining
The sun's rays are shining down upon me, filling me with warmth and happiness
No more pining
I no longer long for something that was missing in my life
Just we two
It's just you and me now, sharing in each other's happiness
Smiling thru
We are both smiling because we know that we have found true happiness together
Don't sigh
There's no need to let out a sorrowful sigh anymore
Don't cry
There are no more tears to shed or sadness to dwell on
Bye bye blues
We are finally saying goodbye to the blues that once consumed us
Blues
The blues that we once felt are now a distant memory, replaced by pure happiness
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BERT LOWN, FREDERICK L HAMM, DAVID BENNETT, CHAUNCEY GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@unloved5600
so enjoyable...classy and soo cool!
@geetarnut
Cool as a cucumber in the fridge,,,, wow,,, I guaranty the kids today would hook right up with Lionel Hampton,, it's a shame that the schools don't have a class on music media styles starting from kindergarten right up to 12th grade!!! I'd bet delinquency would drop dramatically!!!
@MrMusicismagic
@unloved5600 ... thanks !