Lionel Leo Hampton was born April 20, 1908, in Louisville, Kentucky, and raised primarily in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he received his first musical training. His career began behind the drums, playing in a newsboys' band sponsored by the Chicago Defender. In 1928 he moved west to California, joining the Paul Howard Orchestra before working with bandleaders Eddie Barefield and Les Hite.

In 1929 he took up the vibraphone with the Hite band, then led by Louis Armstrong, becoming a pioneering figure in bringing vibes into a jazz band; he made his recorded debut on an Armstrong version of "Memories of You" in 1930. He gained wider prominence as part of the Benny Goodman Quartet from 1936 to 1940, contributing to recordings including "Dizzy Spells" and "Moonglow." In 1940 he formed his own band, scoring a major hit with 1942's "Flying Home," which became his theme song for the rest of his career.

Hampton's big band became a launching pad for an extraordinary roster of future stars, including Dexter Gordon, Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Johnny Griffin, Charles Mingus (whose own career is covered in full in his JazzProfiles.com profile), Art Farmer, Clark Terry, Cat Anderson, and Wes Montgomery, alongside vocalists Dinah Washington, Joe Williams, Betty Carter, and Aretha Franklin. His band became the longest continuously established orchestra in jazz history.

Hampton died August 31, 2002, at age 94.

Hampton essentially defined the vibraphone as a serious jazz instrument, and his rhythmic drive and exuberant showmanship, sustained across more than five decades of bandleading, made his orchestra one of the era's most consequential proving grounds for future jazz stars.