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 Never Knew
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 song "I Never Knew" by Lionel Hampton is a classic love song that speaks to the confusion that often accompanies romantic relationships. The lyrics express the singer's desire for clarity and certainty about the nature of his relationship with the person he loves.
The first two lines of the song express the singer's desire for love and acceptance from the person he loves. He wishes that he knew that the person loved him and placed no one above him. However, he then questions whether he is mistaking his feelings for a real romance, indicating that he is unsure about the other person's true intentions.
The second stanza of the song is characterized by the singer's confusion and vulnerability. He asks whether the other person cares for him and whether he should continue to hope and pray for a future with them. He also asks the other person not to lead him on if they are not genuinely interested in him. Overall, the song conveys a sense of uncertainty and longing that is common in romantic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I knew someone like you could love me
I desire to have the knowledge that someone with your qualities is capable of having feelings for someone like me.
I wish I knew you place no one above me
I desire to have the knowledge that I am the most important person in your life, without any competition for your affection.
Did I mistake this for a real romance?
I question whether my perception of our relationship as a genuine love affair is accurate or not.
I wish I knew, but only you can answer.
I am aware that only you have the ability to provide the answer to the question of the genuineness of our love affair.
If you don't care, why let me hop[e and pray so
I am perplexed as to why you would let me hold on to hope and prayer if you do not have genuine feelings for me.
Don't lead me on, if I'm a fool just say so
Do not pretend to have feelings for me if my affections are unwarranted, it would only make me appear foolish.
Should I keep dreaming on, or just forget you?
I am uncertain whether to persist in my quest for your love, or forget about it entirely and move on.
What shall I do, I wish I knew
I am at a loss as to what actions I should take, since I lack the knowledge of what feelings you harbor for me.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Mack Gordon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind