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 Can't Give You Anything but Love
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
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It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from
simply rotten to something worse
Who knows, some day I will win too.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
Now though I see what our end is,
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
You have a lifetime before you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
Please don't be blue for the present,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
The song "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" by Lionel Hampton is a love song that reflects the struggles of a person who is broke and cannot afford to give their loved one material things. The opening lines of the song express how tough it is to be broke and how it's not a joke but a curse. The singer goes on to explain how their luck has gone from bad to worse, and even though they hope for a better future, they can only offer their time to their loved one.
The middle section of the song talks about dreams and schemes for a happier future, but the singer is realistic about their current financial situation. They admit that the only thing they can give their loved one is their affection and love. The repetition of the phrase "I can't give you anything but love, baby" emphasizes the singer's sincerity and the depth of their feeling.
In the final verse, the singer encourages their loved one not to be blue about their present situation. They believe that they have a lifetime ahead of them to achieve their dreams and that they will always adore their partner. The song ends with a repetition of the refrain that emphasizes the singer's hope for a better future.
Overall, the song is a touching portrayal of love in the face of hardship. It expresses both the struggles of the singer's current situation and their hopes for a brighter tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid.
Being broke is really tough, kid.
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
Being broke is not amusing, kid. It's a real misfortune.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from simply rotten to something worse
My fortunes seem to have taken a turn for the worse: from bad to worse.
Who knows, some day I will win too. I'll begin to reach my prime.
Maybe someday my luck will change for the better and I'll achieve my full potential.
Now though I see what our end is, All I can spend is just my time.
I understand the situation clearly now; all I can offer you is my time.
I can't give you anything but love, baby. That's the only thing I've plenty of, baby.
The only thing I can offer you is love, baby. But luckily, I have plenty of that.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile We're sure to find Happiness and I guess All those things you've always pined for.
Let's dream and scheme to find a happy ending. You'll get everything you've always wanted.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby. Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
You deserve the best, baby. I want to see you looking beautiful with diamonds that you can't find at Woolworth's.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby. I can't give you anything but love.
Until we're lucky enough to have everything we want, you already know that all I can offer is my love.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid. You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
Great things take time, kid. You have to work hard to earn what you want.
But I am willing to wait, dear, Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
I'm willing to wait for you, my dear. I won't forget about you, my beloved.
You have a lifetime before you. I'll adore you, come what may.
You have your whole life ahead of you. Come what may, I'll always love you.
Please don't be blue for the present, When it's so pleasant to hear you say
Please don't be sad for the moment. It's wonderful to just hear you talk.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind