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.
The More I See You
Lionel Hampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each time you're near me the thrill is new
And there is nothing that I wouldn't do for
The rare delight of the sight of you for
The more I see you, the more I want you
Somehow this feeling just grows and grows
With every sigh I become more mad about you
Can you imagine how much I love you?
The more I see you as years go by
I know the only one for me can only be you
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
I know the only one for me can only be you
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
The song "The More I See You" by Lionel Hampton is a classic love song that describes the intense feelings of love and devotion that the singer has for their partner. The lyrics use vivid imagery, describing how every time the singer sees their partner, it feels like the first time. With every moment spent with the partner, the love and desire for them grows stronger. The singer speaks of the rare delight that comes with just seeing their partner.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea that the more the singer sees their partner, the more they want them. The intense feelings of love and obsession continue to grow, leaving the singer lost without their partner. The lyrics describe the singer's realization that their love for their partner will only continue to grow as the years go by. The final lines of the song affirm the singer's commitment to their partner, as they declare that they know their partner is the only one for them, and they will never let them go.
Overall, "The More I See You" is a classic love song that captures the intense feelings of love, desire, and devotion that come with a deep and meaningful relationship. The lyrics use vivid imagery to describe the passion that the singer feels for their partner, and the song's catchy melody and memorable chorus make it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Each time I look at you is like the first time
Every moment I gaze upon you, it evokes the same intense sentiments of passion and love as our very first encounter.
Each time you're near me the thrill is new
No matter how many times our lives intersect, my excitement for your presence never fades or diminishes.
And there is nothing that I wouldn't do for
I am so deeply devoted to you that I would go to great lengths and make significant sacrifices in order to express my love.
The rare delight of the sight of you for
The mere sight of you, though seldom, brings me great happiness and contentment.
The more I see you, the more I want you
As I continue to experience more of you, my love and desire to be with you only increase in intensity.
Somehow this feeling just grows and grows
Although I cannot fully explain it, my affection for you continues to expand and deepen over time.
With every sigh I become more mad about you
Even my breaths are a reminder of my passion for you, as my love and admiration for you grows with every exhalation.
More lost without you and so it goes
The longer I spend without you, the more disoriented and uneasy I feel, as if something essential is missing from my life.
Can you imagine how much I love you?
It's difficult to put into words just how immense and unwavering my love for you truly is.
The more I see you as years go by
As time passes and we mature, my appreciation and yearning for you becomes even more profound and steadfast.
I know the only one for me can only be you
It's incontrovertible that you are the sole individual that I am meant to be with and that no one else will do.
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
I will hold onto you tightly, and never let go or allow my love for you to falter, no matter what obstacles or challenges may arise.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mack Gordon, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind