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.
I'll Never Be Free
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
I'll never be the same never be the same again
I'll never be the same
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I'll never be the same
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
, the main theme of Lionel Hampton's "I'll Never Be The Same" is heartbreak. The lyrics of the song talk about how the singer can never look at things the way they used to since they have lost their love. The first line, "I'll never be the same" sets the tone and acts as a refrain throughout the song. The song's lyrics convey how the singer's perception of the world, and even the beauty of nature, has changed since their heartbreak.
The second stanza talks about how the songbirds remind him of his lost love, and even the spring season's arrival is depressing. It shows how his entire life has been affected by the loss of love. The third verse, "once love was king, but kings can be wrong" shows how one can never fully rely on someone else and how love can be a fickle thing. The last stanza brings the song full circle, reiterating the idea that the singer's life has been changed irrevocably by the loss of love.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of sadness and resignation, and Hampton's soothing vocals add to the melancholy mood. It's a song that is still relatable to those who have gone through breakups and survived them.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never be the same
My life has been irrevocably altered
Stars have lost their meaning for me
Things that I once found awe-inspiring no longer hold significance
Nothing's what it once use to be
Everything has changed, and not for the better
And when the songbirds that sing
Even when nature is telling me something new is beginning
Tell me it's spring
That a fresh start is upon us
I can't believe their song
It's hard to muster any hope or belief in new beginnings
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I was once sure of my affection, but now know that even the strongest feelings can be misguided
There is such an ache in my heart
I am in a lot of emotional pain
Never be the same since we're apart
My separation from the person I love has irreversibly changed me
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I may put on a brave face, but deep down I am hurting
I know down deep inside
I am aware in my heart of hearts
I'll never be the same never be the same again
That I will never return to my former self
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JUNE MILLINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind