Hamp: An Autobiography [Hardcover]

Lionel Hampton (Author), James Haskins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1989

Here are Lionel Hampton's off-the-cuff recollections of contemporaries like Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Teddy Wilson, Nat King Cole,Ella Fitzgerald, and Josephine Baker. And here are rare glimpses into the early careers of stars nurtured by him, such as Dinah Washington, Joe Williams, Quincy Jones, Dexter Gordon, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Gregory Hines.

This is the first and only book about Lionel Hampton, Kennedy Center Honoree for lifetime achievements in the arts. Hamp is a must read for the Hampton fans and music lovers everywhere. It is capped by a new, all -- inclusive discography compiled by Vincent H. Pelote, a librarian at the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At age 81, vibraphonist Hampton, writing with Haskins, biographer of Lena Horne, Mabel Mercer et al., recalls his 60 years as a major figure in jazz history. He is a lively, entertaining narrator when describing his boyhood in Birmingham, Ala., first band dates in Chicago, his Uncle Richard's experiences in working for Al Capone and driving the car in which Bessie Smith rode to her death, the transformation of Ruth Jones to Dinah Washington, and gigs with Benny Goodman in the first mixed white-black ensembles. But in later chapters, which catalogue his accomplishments, the musician's excessive self-congratulation about his successes as a housing magnate, Republican fund-raiser and friend of George Bush detracts from the book's value as a musical chronicle. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 286 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; First Edition edition (November 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446710059
• ISBN-13: 978-0446710053
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,695,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hamp: An Autobiography, September 10, 2008

By 

Arnett Howard "King Creole" (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hamp: An Autobiography (Paperback)

Lionel Hampton is my man, always has and forever will be. This book filled in a lot of gaps in his story, way before he made an impression on me playing "Shine" with Louis Armstrong and the Les Hite Orchestra in the early 1930s. Hamp had a first class seat as the jazz train left the station, he met and influenced all of his fellow passengers, because the train he rode wasn't segregated.
There are many landmark volumes on jazz history, most lovingly written by close observers and record collectors. This book is even more important because is was penned by a main participant of over seventy years. We musicians say of jazz critics, "Those who can do and those who can't, write about those who can." Lionel Hampton could, did and has left us a document of a marvelous life that he and Gladys enjoyed together as royalty in the music world.