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.
Confessin'
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me, do you love me too?
I'm confessin' that I need you,
Honest I do, need you every moment.
In your eyes I read such strange things,
But your lips deny they're true,
Will your answer really change things
Making me blue?
I'm afraid some day you'll leave me,
Saying "can't we still be friends"
If you go, you know you'll grieve me,
All in life on you depends.
Am I guessin' that you love me,
Dreaming dreams of you in vain,
I'm confessin' that I love you, over again.
Lionel Hampton's "I'm Confessin'" is a vulnerable and emotional plea from the singer to the object of their affection. In the opening lines, the singer confesses their love, but quickly asks if their love is reciprocated. The singer then goes on to admit their need for the other person, stating that they need them every moment. Despite their desire and love for the other, the singer expresses uncertainty about the other's feelings. They claim to have read "strange things" in the other person's eyes, but their lips deny any such feelings. The singer asks if the other person's answer will change things, potentially causing them heartache.
The second stanza continues to express the singer's fear of being abandoned by the other person. They worry that if the other person leaves, they'll only be able to maintain a friendship, which would be devastating for the singer. They express doubt again, saying that they might just be "guessing" about the other person's feelings for them. The song ends with the singer repeating their confession of love with a sense of sorrow and hopelessness that it may never be returned.
Overall, the song is a raw and honest portrayal of the complexities of love, especially the feelings of uncertainty and vulnerability that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm confessin' that I love you,
I am admitting that I have feelings of love towards you
Tell me, do you love me too?
I am curious to know if you also have feelings of love towards me
I'm confessin' that I need you,
I am revealing that I depend on you and require your presence
Honest I do, need you every moment.
I genuinely need you with me every second of every day
In your eyes I read such strange things,
I interpret ambiguous emotions when I look into your eyes
But your lips deny they're true,
You do not verbally express the same feelings that I perceive through your eye contact
Will your answer really change things
I wonder if your response to my confession will alter our current dynamic
Making me blue?
I am worried that your answer may make me sad
I'm afraid some day you'll leave me,
I have a fear of you ending our relationship
Saying "can't we still be friends"
You may suggest remaining friends instead of romantically involved
If you go, you know you'll grieve me,
I will be deeply saddened if you decide to leave me
All in life on you depends.
You are the most important person in my life and everything revolves around you
Am I guessin' that you love me,
I wonder if my assumption of your love for me is correct
Dreaming dreams of you in vain,
I daydream about you and our possible future together that may never come to fruition
I'm confessin' that I love you, over again.
I am reiterating my declaration of love towards you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Al J Neiburg, Doc Daugherty, Ellis Reynolds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruce R
I second the emotion.
Classic Mood Experience
little jo
Classic Mood Experience oh man I love his phrasing on vocals, my latest jazz discovery ❤️ thanks for posting!