Lionel Leo Hampton (1908–2002), was a U.S. bandleader, jazz percussionist, … Read Full Bio ↴Lionel Leo Hampton (1908–2002), was a U.S. bandleader, jazz percussionist, and vibraphonist.

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.

Spinnin' Wheel
Lionel Hampton Lyrics

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What goes up must come down
Spinning Wheel got to go 'round
Talkin' 'bout your troubles
It's a cryin' sin
Ride a painted pony
Let the Spinning Wheel spin
You got no money, you got no home
Spinning Wheel all alone

Talkin' 'bout your troubles and you
You never learn
Ride a painted pony
Let the Spinning Wheel turn
Did you find your directing sign
On the straight and narrow highway
Would you mind a reflecting sign?
Just let it shine within your mind
And show you the colors that are real
Someone is waiting just for you

Spinning Wheel spinning true
Drop all you troubles by the river side

Overall Meaning

In Lionel Hampton's song "Spinnin' Wheel", the lyrics explore the cyclical nature of life and the idea that what goes up must come down. The imagery of the spinning wheel represents the continuous motion and unpredictability of life's ups and downs. The song suggests that talking about one's troubles constantly without learning from them is futile. Instead, the lyrics encourage riding a painted pony, symbolizing the journey of life and embracing the spinning wheel, which represents the inevitable twists and turns.

The lyrics also touch upon the idea of finding direction and inner reflection. The mentioning of "your directing sign" and "reflecting sign" suggests a need for guidance and self-discovery. The song encourages allowing these signs to illuminate one's mind and reveal the true colors of life. It suggests that by dropping one's troubles by the riverside, one can find solace and move forward.

Spinnin' WheelLionel Hampton Lyrics

Spinnin' Wheel
Lionel Hampton Lyrics