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.
Over the Rainbow
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
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There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
The lyrics of "Over the Rainbow" by Lionel Hampton evoke a sense of wonder and longing, as the singer dreams of a faraway land where troubles melt away and dreams come true. The opening lines suggest that this place exists somewhere beyond the horizon, "way up high," perhaps only in the realm of imagination or in the memories of childhood. The imagery of "blue skies" and "happy little bluebirds" also adds to the sense of optimism and hope that pervades the song.
The second verse further emphasizes the idea of escape and the desire to leave behind the worries of everyday life. The singer dreams of a place where "troubles melt like lemon drops," and the only sounds are the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. The image of a star also suggests a sense of magic or otherworldliness, as though the singer is hoping to be transported to a place that is beyond reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There is a special place located high above the world.
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
This place may exist only in the imagination, but it is known through song.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
In this elevated world, the sky is always blue.
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Furthermore, your deepest desires will become reality.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
It is possible to make this fantasy a reality by making a wish on a star.
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
The journey to this other world will be marked by leaving one's earthly troubles behind.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Imagining such a place elicits a dreamy, surreal sensation.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Among the highlights of this place are blue birds that take flight.
Birds fly over the rainbow
These birds represent joy and freedom that can be found beyond the horizon.
Why then, oh why can't I?
Despite the possibility of reaching this wonderful land, it remains elusive to those stuck on the ground.
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
It is a mystery why we can't follow the birds and reach this utopia.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Yip Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind