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.
Danny Boy
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
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From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
You'll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
The lyrics to Lionel Hampton's "Danny Boy" tell a story of love, loss, and longing. The song begins with an image of the pipes calling Danny boy from across the mountainside. We learn that summer has ended and the roses have fallen, foreshadowing the inevitable end to this relationship. Danny must go while the singer must stay behind. However, there is a promise of reunion when summer returns, or when the world is hushed in winter snow. The singer declares their love for Danny, no matter what the future holds.
As the song progresses, the singer acknowledges the possibility that they may no longer be alive when Danny returns. They instruct Danny to find their final resting place, and kneel and say a prayer for them. The final lines of the song suggest that this thought brings comfort to the singer, knowing that their love will be remembered even after they are gone.
"Danny Boy" is a poignant reminder of the transience of love, and the universality of loss. It is a song that has stood the test of time, with decades of interpretations by artists across genres.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
The bagpipes can be heard from miles away, and they're calling to Danny.
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The sound of the pipes travels across the valley, over hills and down the mountainsides.
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
Summer has ended and the flowers are dying.
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
Danny has to leave and the artist must stay.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Come back in the summertime when the meadow is green.
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
Or in the wintertime when the valley is quiet and covered in snow.
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
The singer will always be there, no matter the circumstances.
Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!
The artist loves Danny deeply.
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
But if you come back when the flowers are dead...
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
And if I am dead, which could very well be the case...
You'll come and find the place where I am lying,
You will find my grave...
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And say a prayer for me there.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
I will be able to hear you, even if you walk softly above me.
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
My resting place will feel warmer and more inviting.
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
Because you will lean down and tell me that you love me...
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
...and I will be able to rest peacefully until you join me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FREDERICK E WEATHERLY, TAISUKE SAWACHIKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind