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.
Someday
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
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There is someone I'm longing to see
Someone I simply can't help but adore
Someone who'll thrill me forever
Some day my prince will come
Some day I'll find my love
And how thrilling that moment will be
When the prince of my dreams comes to me
And steal a kiss or two
Though he's far away,
I'll find my love some day
Some day when my dreams come true
Some day I'll find my love
Someone to call my own
And I'll know her the moment we meet
For my heart will start skipping a beat
Some day we'll say and do
Things we've been longing to
Though she's far away
I'll find my love some day
Some day when my dreams come true
The song "Someday" by Lionel Hampton talks about the hope and longing for finding true love, and the belief that one day that love will come. The singer dreams of finding their prince charming, someone they adore and who thrills them forever. They eagerly anticipate the moment when they find their love, and are looking forward to the whispers of "I love you" and the stolen kisses that will come with it.
The lyrics suggest that the singer believes in the power of dreaming and positive thinking, and holds onto the idea that their dreams will come true. The theme of hope is prominently featured throughout the song and the singer expresses unwavering belief that their love will be found one day. It is a universal concept, as many people share this sentiment of hoping to find true love in their lives.
Overall, Lionel Hampton's "Someday" is a romantic and optimistic song that evokes a sense of hope and anticipation for finding true love.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere waiting for me
There exists a place where someone is waiting for me
There is someone I'm longing to see
My heart desires to see a special person
Someone I simply can't help but adore
I love this person beyond measure
Someone who'll thrill me forever
This person will always excite and inspire me
Some day my prince will come
There will be a day when my perfect partner will appear
Some day I'll find my love
I will discover true love someday
And how thrilling that moment will be
How exciting it will be when I finally meet my soulmate
When the prince of my dreams comes to me
My ideal match will arrive and sweep me off my feet
He'll whisper, I love you,
He will tell me he loves me in a soft, intimate voice
And steal a kiss or two
We will share a few stolen kisses together
Though he's far away,
Even if he's not here right now,
I'll find my love some day
I will meet the love of my life someday
Some day when my dreams come true
Someday when everything falls into place perfectly
Some day I'll find my love
One day I will find my soulmate
Someone to call my own
Someone who will belong to me
And I'll know her the moment we meet
My heart will recognize her when we first meet
For my heart will start skipping a beat
I will feel my heart race when we are near each other
Some day we'll say and do
Someday we will express our love through words and actions
Things we've been longing to
Things we have been yearning to share with each other
Though she's far away
Even if we are geographically distant from each other
I'll find my love some day
One day, I will be with my true love
Some day when my dreams come true
Someday when everything falls into place perfectly
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Churchill, Larry Morey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind