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.
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Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish I knew you place no one above me
Did I mistake this for a real romance?
I wish I knew, but only you can answer.
If you don't care, why let me hop[e and pray so
Don't lead me on, if I'm a fool just say so,
Should I keep dreaming on, or just forget you?
The lyrics of "I Wish I Knew" by Lionel Hampton depict a person who is deeply in love with someone but unsure if their love is reciprocated. The person wishes they knew if the other person loved them and whether their relationship is a real romance or just a false hope. The song delves into the emotional turmoil one goes through when they are unsure of the other person's feelings, leading to confusion and uncertainty in the relationship. The lyrics evoke a sense of vulnerability and helplessness and highlight the importance of communication in relationships.
The song has a timeless quality and reflects the timeless theme of unrequited love. The lyrics have been covered by various artists, highlighting the universality of the emotions portrayed in the song. The song is a testament to the depth of love and the human need for validation and reassurance in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I knew someone like you could love me
I never thought someone like you could love me, and now that you do, I wish I understood how to accept it.
I wish I knew you place no one above me
I desire to fully believe that I am the only one in your heart and that nobody else is ahead of me.
Did I mistake this for a real romance?
I begin to question if this so-called love I feel is just my own imagination or if it's truly a real romantic feeling.
I wish I knew, but only you can answer.
I am hoping that you'll answer me if what we're sharing is real or not. You're the only one who can answer it for me.
If you don't care, why let me hope and pray so
It's useless for me to hope and pray if you don't really care. Why would you lead me on to believe otherwise?
Don't lead me on, if I'm a fool just say so
If I'm just fooling myself and you know that we're never going to be anything, please stop leading me on and let me know the truth.
Should I keep dreaming on, or just forget you?
I am confused about what to do, whether to accept the reality and move on or keep dreaming and clinging to the hope that maybe there is something.
What shall I do, I wish I knew
I am lost and don't know what step to take. I desire clarity and an understanding of what is next to come.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Mack Gordon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pudman31
Look at the fun these musicians are having. This is how live music should be played, it's so pure and simple.
Jack Spry
RIP and long live Lionel Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002), aged 94
You will always be remembered as a legend.
Robert Silvestri
Had the privilege of not only seeing him in person, but playing this signature song, and grabbing a bite to eat with him after an outdoor concert back in the 70s. A true gentleman. Still have the menu he autographed for me. #FlyingHome
Gary Sporle
have an album of his my dad gave me with the track the nearness of you. Fantastic always plays in my mind.
Pat Cummings
XX crump
and don't steal the menu...
How uncouth!
PlanetRockJesus
Awesome. I was a fan since I was a little kid, and I remember much later that there was a fire in his high rise apartment decades ago. Cool you were able to met him!
Layla Simic
That's SO COOL! I have only met legends, but I haven't broken bread with them. Only one famous actor, but he is not a Legend. But he was super cool.
squeakystool
This was originally recorded in 1942 and music historians have stated that this is one of the first rock 'n' roll records. Great stuff fun to see the drummer and bass player in the groove.
Ghost of Warski
Do you have a source for that!
michavandam
Interesting remark!