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 Only Have Eyes for You
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
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I can't see anyone but you
Sha bop sha bop
Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I only have eyes for you dear
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I only have eyes for you
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here and so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
In Lionel Hampton's classic song "I Only Have Eyes for You," the singer describes the intensity of their love for someone, stating that they are blind to anyone else but their beloved. The use of the word "blind" is a powerful one, suggesting that the singer is completely consumed by their love.
The lyrics continue by describing how the singer is oblivious to the outside world, with the stars and the moon holding no significance to them - all they see is their beloved. The sense of tunnel vision continues as the singer states that they are unsure if they are standing in a garden or on a crowded street, as their attention is solely focused on the person they love.
The lyrics paint a picture of an all-consuming, almost desperate love that leaves the singer completely blind to anyone or anything else but their beloved. It's a powerful sentiment that speaks to the universal experience of falling in love and the way that it can alter our perceptions of the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
My love must be a kind of blind love
The love I have for you is so strong that I can't see anyone else but you. It's like my love has blinded me.
I can't see anyone but you
My feelings for you are so deep that I am unable to take my eyes off you or see anyone else
Are the stars out tonight
I am not sure if there are any stars in the sky tonight as I am too focused on you to notice anything else.
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
My attention is only on you, so I am unable to comprehend whether it is cloudy or bright outside.
I only have eyes for you dear
My focus and attention is entirely on you, my love.
The moon may be high
Even if the moon is high up in the sky, I am unable to take my eyes off you.
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I am completely unaware of the surroundings around me, including the sky. My mind is only on you.
I don't know if we're in a garden
I am too consumed in my feelings for you to be aware of the location we are in, and it feels like we are in our own world.
Or on a crowded avenue
It does not matter to me if we are in a busy street; my focus is solely on you and nothing else.
You are here and so am I
We are both in the moment, and all that matters right now is the love and connection we both have.
Maybe millions of people go by
Even if millions of people pass us by, they do not register to me as my attention is entirely on you.
But they all disappear from view
I do not see or notice any other person around me as my eyes and heart are set only on you.
And I only have eyes for you
No matter what is going on around me, I am solely devoted to you and nothing else matters.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind