A Jeannette native, Hampton was a two-time Grammy Award winning composer.
Hampton started as a singer and dancer with a family band that included his parents and most of his 11 brothers and sisters.
“Your life experience is very important — not so much for your creativity, but especially for your expression.
By 1952, at the age of 20, Hampton was performing at Carnegie Hall with the Lionel Hampton Band .
As his reputation grew, he began working with bands led by Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Barry Harris, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and Max Roach, again contributing both original compositions and arrangements.
From 1964 to 1967, he served as music director for various orchestras and artists.
in 1977, Hampton began a series of master classes at Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, DePaul University in Chicago and Indiana University.