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.
Honeysuckle Rose
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When they see you out with me.
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
When you're passin' by flowers droop and sigh,
And I know the reason why.
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
Don't buy sugar,
You just have to touch my cup.
You're my sugar.
It's sweeter when you stir it up.
When I'm taking sips from your tasty lips
Seems the honey fairly drips.
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
Don't buy sugar,
You just have to touch my cup.
You're my sugar.
It's sweeter when you stir it up.
When I'm taking sips from your tasty lips
Seems the honey fairly drips.
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
The lyrics to Lionel Hampton’s song “Honeysuckle Rose” convey a sense of adoration and admiration for a particular person. In the first verse, the singer says that every honeybee fills with jealousy when they see the singer with the object of their affection. The next verse references the effect that this person has on their surroundings, with flowers drooping and sighing when they pass by. The chorus, which is repeated throughout the song, emphasizes the significance of this person in the singer’s life: “Goodness knows, you’re my honeysuckle rose.”
The second verse continues to describe the effect that this person has on the singer. They claim that they don’t need sugar in their cup – simply being near this person is enough to make life sweeter. When the singer takes sips from their “tasty lips,” it seems as though honey is dripping from them. The chorus is repeated twice more, emphasizing the extent to which this person has become central to the singer’s life.
Overall, “Honeysuckle Rose” is a song about love and the transformative power of a specific person on the singer’s life. The use of floral imagery and references to sweetness and honey emphasize the attractiveness of this individual, and the chorus reinforces the importance of their presence in the singer’s life.
Line by Line Meaning
Every honey bee fills with jealousy,
Even the honeybees get envious when they see how beautiful and attractive you are, and how lucky I am to be with you.
When they see you out with me.
This is because when they see me, they want to be with me instead of you, but I'm glad you're the one who chose to be with me.
Goodness knows
It's a way of expressing that there's no doubt, or there's no need to say more, because it is already crystal clear.
You're my honeysuckle rose
You are the sweetest and most beautiful thing in my life, every time I see you, it feels like seeing a rose made of sugary honey.
When you're passin' by flowers droop and sigh,
When you walk by the flowers, they seem to become sad and tired because they are no match for your dazzling beauty.
And I know the reason why.
The reason is because your presence is so inspiring, it always makes me feel so happy and lucky to have you in my life.
Don't buy sugar,
I don't need to buy sugar because you already make my life sweet and wonderful just by being in it.
You just have to touch my cup.
All you have to do is be near me, and everything will light up with joy and happiness, even my cup of tea.
You're my sugar.
You are the sweetness and the light in my life, and everything that makes it worth living.
It's sweeter when you stir it up.
With you around, everything becomes even better, and brighter, like stirring in sugar and feeling the magic happen.
When I'm taking sips from your tasty lips
When I'm kissing you or just being close to you, I feel like I'm sipping the nectar from the sweetest flowers, and it's the most delicious feeling in the world.
Seems the honey fairly drips.
It feels like all the sweetness in the world is concentrated in that moment, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share such a wonderful experience with you.
Goodness knows
It's a way of expressing that there's no doubt, or there's no need to say more, because it is already crystal clear.
You're my honeysuckle rose
You are the sweetest and most beautiful thing in my life, every time I see you, it feels like seeing a rose made of sugary honey.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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