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.
It Don
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If it ain't got that swing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
It don't mean a thing
All you got to do is sing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Ev'rything you got
Oh, it don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
The lyrics of Lionel Hampton's "It Don't Mean a Thing" talk about the importance of swing in music. According to the song, a musical piece can have sweet melodies or hot rhythms, but if it lacks swing, it "don't mean a thing." Hampton is arguing that music needs that groove, that rhythm, and that unpredictable feel that comes with swing to truly make an impression on the listener.
The "doo wah" vocalizations that punctuate the verses act as both cues to the rhythm and a form of scat or improvisation. It's as if the vocalist is joining in with the horn sections and various other instruments, uniting all the pieces into a greater whole. This sense of collective musicianship is in turn an expression of the American cultural attitude that music can bring people together regardless of differences.
Furthermore, the song is also a celebration of the swing music genre, which was popular in the United States in the late 1920s through the early 1940s. This genre is known for its rhythmic feel, jazz improvisations, and catchy melodies, all of which are represented in "It Don't Mean a Thing." The song can be considered a love letter to the style that was prevalent when Hampton and other jazz greats were coming up in the industry.
Line by Line Meaning
It don't mean a thing
The song has no significance or value
If it ain't got that swing
Unless it has a specific rhythm or beat characterized by a swing feel, it is not good enough
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Background sounds emphasizing the playful and light-hearted tone of the song
It don't mean a thing
The song has no significance or value
All you got to do is sing
If the song has the right rhythm or beat, all one needs to do is sing to make it enjoyable
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Background sounds emphasizing the playful and light-hearted tone of the song
It makes no diff'rence
The content or subject matter of the song is irrelevant
If it's sweet or hot
The song can be either slow and mellow or fast and lively
Just give that rhythm
Emphasizes the importance of the rhythm of the song
Ev'rything you got
Put all your effort into maintaining the rhythm of the song
Oh, it don't mean a thing
The song has no significance or value
If it ain't got that swing
Unless it has a specific rhythm or beat characterized by a swing feel, it is not good enough
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Background sounds emphasizing the playful and light-hearted tone of the song
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Duke Ellington, Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jackspry9736
RIP Lionel Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002), aged 94
You will be remembered as a legend.
@maureenmcgovern6119
I treated my dad, to a Lionel Hampton concert. Mid way through we lost power, due to a very bad storm. Mr. Hampton was a true entertainer. A man brought a motorcycle up onto the stage; and they used the headlight from the motorcycle to continue. We were blown away. It’s a favorite memory of my dad. RIP Charlie and Lionel Hampton.
@puddnheadwilson2956
As memories go, that is outstanding!
@dennispearson9287
How Cool Can You Get !!!.....Lionel Turns Into The Supa-Baddest Multi-Tasker Of ALL-TIME !!!.....
@LibertyAboveAllElse
There is NO SUBSTITUTE for the 5-A-Day performances that these masters did on the road to build their chops. They worked the circuits from coast to coast learning their craft the hard way…they earned it! It’s the only way to gain seemingly effortless mastery at this level.
@sidilicious11
Yep!
@jibsmokestack1
Facts!
@SELMER1947
Incredeible Hamp !!!! one of the greatest musician ever !
@mefirstplease3676
This man just played four instruments back to back.
@swift9682
Technically everything he played was percussion (joke) 😂