[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4667-4670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     EXTENDING BIRTHDAY GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES TO LIONEL HAMPTON

  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the 
Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 101) extending birthday 
greetings and best wishes to Lionel Hampton on the occasion of his 94th 
birthday.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 101

       Whereas Lionel Hampton is regarded internationally as one 
     of the greatest jazz musicians of all time and has shared his 
     talents with the world for more than eight decades;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton has consistently exemplified 
     acceptance, tolerance, and the celebration of racial and 
     cultural diversity, by being one of the first black musicians 
     to perform in venues and events previously open only to white 
     performers, including performances with the Benny Goodman 
     Quartet from 1936-1940, and as the first black musician to 
     perform for a presidential inauguration, that of Harry S 
     Truman in 1949;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton has furthered the cause of cultural 
     understanding and international communication, receiving a 
     Papal Medallion from Pope Pius XII, the Israel Statehood 
     Award, serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United 
     States, and receiving the Honor Cross for Science and the 
     Arts, First Class, one of Austria's highest decorations;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton is one of the most recorded artists 
     in the history of jazz;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton has opened doors for aspiring 
     musicians throughout the world, many of whom have established 
     themselves as giants in the world of jazz, including Cat 
     Anderson, Terrance Blanchard, Clifford Brown, Conte Candoli, 
     Pete Candoli, Betty Carter, Ray Charles, Nat ``King'' Cole, 
     Bing Crosby, Art Farmer, Carl Fontana, Aretha Franklin, Benny 
     Golson, Al Grey, Slide Hampton, Joe Henderson, Quincy Jones, 
     Bradford Marsalis, Wes Montgomery, James Moody, Fats Navarro, 
     Joe Newman, Nicholas Payton, Benny Powell, Buddy Tate, Clark 
     Terry, Stanley Turrentine, Dinah Washington, and Joe 
     Williams, among others;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton has worked to perpetuate the art 
     form of jazz by offering his talent, inspiration, and 
     production acumen to the University of Idaho since 1983, and 
     in 1985, when the University of Idaho named its school of 
     music after him, Lionel Hampton became the first jazz 
     musician to have both a music school and a jazz festival 
     named in his honor;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton has received many national 
     accolades, awards, and commemorations, including an American 
     Jazz Masters Fellowship from the National Endowment for the 
     Arts, Kennedy Center Honors, and a National Medal of Arts;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton has received numerous awards and 
     commendations by local and State governments and has received 
     acknowledgment from hundreds of civic and performance groups;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton's legacy of inspiration, education, 
     and excellence will be perpetuated by the development of the 
     Lionel Hampton Center at the University of Idaho, a facility 
     that combines the finest in performance, scholarship, and 
     research;
       Whereas Lionel Hampton has made a difference in many lives 
     by inspiring so many who have now become jazz greats, by 
     reinforcing the importance of education at all levels, and by 
     showing the world a way of life where love and talent are 
     shared without reservation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the Congress, on behalf of the American 
     people, extends its birthday greetings and best wishes to 
     Lionel Hampton on the occasion of his 94th birthday.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Idaho (Mr. Otter) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on S. Con. Res. 101.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Idaho?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the House consider Senate 
Concurrent Resolution 101, a resolution introduced by my colleague, 
Senator Larry Craig from Idaho. This resolution is virtually identical 
to its House version, House Concurrent Resolution 363, introduced by my 
distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers).

[[Page 4668]]

  This resolution extends birthday wishes to Lionel Hampton, the 
undisputed ``King of the Vibraphone.'' Lionel Hampton, whose enduring 
contributions as an extraordinary musician and artistic achievements 
symbolize the impact that he has had on jazz and that jazz music has 
had on our culture. Happy birthday, Lionel Hampton.
  Mr. Speaker, Lionel Hampton has devoted his life to the love and the 
belief in jazz and music and education. Lionel Hampton has stated, 
``Nothing is more important than doing something that you like, and 
that's jazz music. My heart and my soul are in jazz.''
  Mr. Hampton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 20, 1908. In 
the 1930s, Lionel Hampton's musical career hit its stride when he began 
playing with such musical luminaries as Louis Armstrong and Benny 
Goodman. Lionel Hampton formed his own band in the early 1940s, writing 
top-of-the-chart sellers, including his signature tune, ``Flying 
Home.'' Lionel Hampton was the first black musician to perform for a 
Presidential inauguration, that of Harry S. Truman in 1949.
  In his lifetime, Mr. Speaker, Lionel Hampton has received numerous 
prestigious awards. These include the title of American Goodwill 
Ambassador bestowed on him by President Eisenhower and President Nixon, 
along with the Papal Medal from Pope Paul I. President George H.W. Bush 
appointed him to the Board of the Kennedy Center, and President Clinton 
awarded him the National Medal of Arts in 1992.
  Lionel Hampton branched out in his musical career by running his own 
publishing companies and his own record label. In the 1980s, Lionel 
Hampton founded the Lionel Hampton Development Corporation, which was 
responsible for building two multi-million-dollar apartment complexes 
in Harlem.
  In 1985, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival was launched at the 
University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. The festival has become a 
nationally acclaimed event, featuring 4 days of concerts, clinics, and 
student competitions. In 1987, the music school at the University of 
Idaho was named the Lionel Hampton School of Music, becoming the first 
musical school of a university to be named for a jazz musician. Lionel 
Hampton has stated that this event was the highlight of his 
distinguished career.
  I might also state, Mr. Speaker, that Lionel Hampton created more 
than just a school of music, because that institution today has become 
a cultural center for celebrating the diversities that we have in race, 
in creed, and in social life and also in music.
  We honor Lionel Hampton on his upcoming 94th birthday on April 20, 
because Lionel Hampton is, in the words of David Friesen, ``. . . a man 
that has truly been blessed, not only with the gift of playing music, 
but also the ability to communicate his love of music to so many.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that the House recognize the dedicated 
and outstanding accomplishments of Lionel Hampton today. He improved 
the lives of all who have heard and been touched by his love for jazz 
and his musical talent.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with the gentleman from Idaho in 
consideration of this resolution.
  Lionel Hampton is an internationally acclaimed jazz artist and 
undisputed King of the Vibraphone. Lionel Hampton, who began his career 
as a drummer, has been thrilling individuals like the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Conyers) with his music for well over 50 years.
  Hampton's idol during his early years was drummer Jimmy Bertrand, and 
drums became Lionel's first instrument. However, Hampton so impressed 
Louis Armstrong that he invited the young drummer to join his big band 
rhythm section for a recording session. During a session break, 
Armstrong pointed to a set of vibes at the back of his studio and asked 
Hampton if he knew how to play them. Taking up the challenge, Lionel, 
who was well schooled in his keyboard studies, picked up the mallets 
and said he would give it a go. Of course, the rest is history.
  In 1936, Benny Goodman signed Lionel Hampton to form the Benny 
Goodman Quartet. The Quartet made history, not only for its great 
history, but because they were the first racially integrated group of 
jazz musicians.
  In the 1940s, Lionel Hampton formed his own big band, the Lionel 
Hampton Quartet. ``Sunny Side of the Street'' and ``Central Avenue 
Breakdown'' are two of his most highly successful records. He flew to 
the top of the charts with his recording of ``Flying Home'' in 1942 and 
``Hamp's Boogie-Woogie'' in 1943.
  Many now-famous musicians and singers had their start with the Lionel 
Hampton Orchestra. Among these were Quincy Jones, Cat Anderson, Diana 
Washington, Joe Williams, and Aretha Franklin.
  Hampton has received innumerable prestigious awards over the years. 
He was bestowed the title of Official American Goodwill Ambassador by 
Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon, the Papal Medal from Pope Paul I, and 
the Gold Medal of Paris, France's highest cultural award. In 1992 he 
received the highly coveted Kennedy Center Honors Award, and in 1997 he 
received the National Medal of the Arts, bestowed by President William 
Jefferson Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White 
House.
  Lionel Hampton is a beloved classic in American jazz and popular 
music, and I join with the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and 
others in both the House and Senate as sponsors of this resolution in 
congratulating Lionel Hampton on his 94th birthday. I thank him for his 
contribution to international music.
  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such 
time as he may consume to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie).
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, my remarks today are of a personal nature because I 
expect that the relationship that most of us have to Lionel Hampton is 
in fact personal.
  I recall very clearly I think almost the first moment that I became 
aware of what was in fact America's contribution to the music of the 
world, jazz, when I inadvertently one afternoon was at a friend's 
house, and, completely without knowledge of what exactly I was doing, I 
had recently taken up the trumpet, and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Conyers) is laughing at the moment because he knows when I say ``taken 
up the trumpet,'' I had just picked it up, because I was not able to do 
much more than that. I was a living example of ambition over technique 
and talent, and I can see that that relates then to a lot of Members 
here.
  But what had happened was I saw something that said ``Carnegie Hall 
Concert, 1938, Benny Goodman Orchestra,'' and I had no idea at that 
time as a little boy what that might involve.
  For those who are familiar with it, this was the concert that was 
made almost as an afterthought, with a single overhead microphone, tape 
that was in Benny Goodman's closet for many years, finally found it, 
and that was when the quartet that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis) cited, the first integrated quartet, not integrated in terms of 
musicians, integrated in terms of America's true voice of jazz, with 
white and black musicians, had been gathered together, with Teddy 
Wilson on piano and Gene Kruppa on drums, and, of course, Benny Goodman 
playing the lead in the quartet on clarinet and Lionel Hampton on the 
vibes.
  When I heard that quartet playing, I had never heard anything like it 
in my life. It is so vivid in my mind, even now as I am speaking. And 
it is an emotional experience, because we have certain transcendent 
moments in our lives, and that was not just one of them, but perhaps 
one that most formed the world for me, a world view

[[Page 4669]]

at the time, as to what was possible. The excitement of it, the 
vitality of it, the vividness of the playing, the exuberance, it was 
everything and anything that could be expected and hoped for in 
American music and, by extension then, our gift, as I said before, to 
the world.
  Lionel Hampton was a particularly meaningful part of that, because, 
along with Gene Kruppa on the drums, I do not think you can find, 
except perhaps in the hero of both of them, Louis Armstrong, anyone in 
jazz more enthusiastic, more full of life, more expressive of the 
innate vitality of jazz, than Gene Kruppa and Lionel Hampton playing 
together; and that excited me as a young boy. It motivated me in trying 
to do the best I could with that trumpet, becoming involved in a jazz 
band in high school; and I cannot think, as I look back and I try to 
recall in my life to this point, of a single minute, a single moment, 
when I was not happy playing music, that it did not give me a sense of 
self that was always by definition optimistic, I can tell my 
colleagues, if they ever heard me play.

                              {time}  1445

  I had a great tone, though. That was the thing. If only Hampton heard 
it, he would have said, kid, you got a great tone; too bad you missed 
out on the talent part. I cannot think of a single moment when I was 
not happy, not because I had any ambition to play the way that Hampton 
and Krupa and Goodman and Wilson played, but that that was my way of 
sharing with them the creative instinct that is in all of us and which 
had been freed in all of us by Lionel Hampton and all of the pioneers 
of jazz in this country.
  It is fitting, of course, that we celebrate this today because Lionel 
Hampton is, of course, approaching almost a century. He has achieved 
iconic status, and for good reason, because that talent and that 
liveliness and that exuberance for life and for his music has been 
carried over into every venue in which he has exposed himself to the 
American public and, in fact, the world. If there is anything that 
characterizes Lionel Hampton, and for those who have not had the 
opportunity to see him in person, to listen to him in person, they have 
missed out on one of the greatest experiences of life. There is no one 
in music, there is no one in life that exudes more of the core of 
creativity and what it means to be a human being in terms of that 
creativity than Lionel Hampton.
  I want to conclude, Mr. Speaker, by saying that we, as a species, 
differentiate ourselves from all of the other species on the earth by 
our ability to reflect and our ability to imagine. As I reflect on this 
life force called Lionel Hampton, and as I reflect on the capacity to 
create that he exemplifies, I can think of no greater example of what 
it means to be a good and true human being and creative person, a life 
force of which we can all be proud to have known musically and to be 
able to honor today.
  Mr. OTTER: Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have been told that music is a 
universal language, and it is my pleasure to yield such time as he 
might consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), one who is 
known as a culturist, but also an impresario himself.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Davis), the ranking member of the subcommittee for yielding me this 
time, and I thank the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter), the chairman of 
the subcommittee.
  I am delighted to be here, because Lionel Hampton is coming to the 
Capitol tomorrow and I am hoping that a number of us will be able to 
celebrate, not just his birthday, but his life and works. The gentleman 
from Idaho and a number of people from the University of Idaho will be 
here and we will be able to see and enjoy the company of this great 
legend.
  Now, some wonder why on earth would a university in Moscow, Idaho, of 
all places, decide to name its institution after Lionel Hampton. Well, 
I am glad that question was asked, because years ago, and I think it 
was in the 1930s, someone there used to call Lionel Hampton and beg him 
to either come in or send jazz musicians and Lionel Hampton would 
always come out to Idaho. And gradually, over the years, the jazz 
department, the music department began to grow, because no one could 
figure out why all of these people were flying in from New York and Los 
Angeles to celebrate with the University of Idaho. Lionel Hampton would 
either go himself or, if he could not go, he would send someone, and 
the school has become one of the famous music institutions that grants 
degrees in the country.
  So with this American music called jazz came the references that were 
made by my colleague about how the social, musical, religious and 
racial diversity grew up in that State and out of that university, and 
now it brings in people from all over the world. I was privileged to be 
there one year myself.
  So this is a wonderful occasion. I am confident that this resolution 
will be unanimously supported by the Members. I just wanted to add a 
comment about Lionel Hampton the musician, the human being, because he 
is one of the warmest, most outgoing people that one could have ever 
hoped to meet, and when he performs, it is like he has to put 
everything into every performance. Every performance is his best; 
complete, exhaustive, exuberant. He goes up and down the aisles and out 
into the street and anywhere else, and his music is infectious. 
Everybody goes along with it.
  As the gentleman from Hawaii was mentioning about the epiphany that 
can occur when one listens to great jazz, and Lionel Hampton, when we 
think of all of the people that he has been associated with that came 
out of his group, we understand why.
  National Public Radio did a profile on Lionel Hampton, and I am going 
to include it in my remarks. It details all of the people that have 
been connected with this great musician.
  Now, it is only appropriate to mention that he was not the first 
great jazz vibraphonist. As a matter of fact, Red Norvo was the first 
person to popularize that instrument. But his enthusiasm and his 
learning of music, because he was originally a drummer, but he studied 
piano, as has been indicated, but he laid the groundwork for the 
greatest jazz bebop vibraphonist, Milt Jackson, the late Milt Jackson, 
who was at his birthday, another birthday celebration in New York, and 
he came to pay tribute. Bill Cosby was there, who was another great 
jazz aficionado.
  Mr. Speaker, it is just a marvelous thing that we here in the House 
and in the Senate would collaborate to get this resolution out just in 
time for Lionel Hampton to make his appearance on the Hill tomorrow.
  So I congratulate the committee for its expeditious work, and I look 
forward to presenting this resolution to Lionel Hampton tomorrow.

                               Biography

       There is some confusion about the year of Lionel Hampton's 
     birth, which has sometimes been given as 1908. Around 1916 he 
     moved with his family to Chicago, where he began his career 
     playing drums in various lesser bands. In the late 1920s he 
     was based in Culver City, California, where he worked in 
     clubs and took part in several recording sessions (1930) with 
     Louis Armstrong, who encouraged him to take up vibraphone. 
     Hampton soon became the leading jazz performer on this 
     instrument, and achieved wide recognition through his many 
     film appearances with Les Hite's band. After playing 
     informally with Benny Goodman in 1936 he began to work in 
     Goodman's small ensembles, with which he performed and 
     recorded regularly until 1940; as a result he became one of 
     the most celebrated figures of the swing period, and his 
     resounding success allowed him to form his own big band in 
     1940.
       This group, which at times has included musicians of the 
     stature of Cat Anderson, Illinois Jacquet, Clifford Brown, 
     and Quincy Jones, has been one of the most long-lived and 
     consistently popular large ensembles in jazz. From the 1950s 
     Hampton undertook numerous ``goodwill'' tours to Europe, 
     Japan, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere, and 
     made a large number of television appearances, attracting a 
     huge and enthusiastic international following.
       Hampton performed in the Royal Festival Hall, London, in 
     1957, and played at the White House for President Carter in 
     1978; during the same year he formed his own record label, 
     Who's Who in Jazz, to issue mainstream recordings. In the mid 
     1980s his

[[Page 4670]]

     band continued to draw capacity crowds throughout the world. 
     Hampton was honored as alumnus of the year by the University 
     of Southern California in 1983.
       Hampton was not the first jazz musician to take up 
     vibraphone (Red Norvo had preceded him in the late 1920s), 
     but it was he who gave the instrument an identity in jazz, 
     applying a wide range of attacks and generating remarkable 
     swing on an instrument otherwise known for its bland, 
     disembodied sound. Undoubtedly his best work was done with 
     the Goodman Quartet from 1936-1940, when he revealed a fine 
     ear for small-ensemble improvisation and an unrestrained, 
     ebullient manner as a soloist. The big band format was 
     probably better suited to the display of his flamboyant 
     personality and flair for showmanship, but after a few early 
     successes, especially the riff tunes Flying Home, Down Home 
     Jump, and Hey Bab-Ba-Rebop, the group was too often content 
     to repeat former trimuphs for its many admirers. Hampton has 
     at times also appeared as singer, played drums with enormous 
     vitality, and performed with curious success asa pianist, 
     using only two fingers in the manner of vibraphrone mallets.
       Lionel Hampton, former Presidential appointed Ambassador of 
     Goodwill, the holder of over 15 Honorary Doctor of Music 
     Degrees, awarded the highest honors from the Kennedy Center 
     of the Performing Arts and, the National Commission On The 
     Endowment for the Arts, was recently honored at the White 
     House in August 1998 in celebration of his 90th birthday. 
     This musical legend has been the Co-Honorary Chairman of the 
     International Agency for Minority Artist Affairs (IAMAA) 
     since 1978. Not only a musician, Lionel Hampton is a 
     businessman and, has developed housing projects across this 
     nation and, is a leading philanthropist for community-based 
     initiatives.
       Mr. Hampton, reigning King of the Vibraphone for over a 
     half a century, begain his musical career as a drummer. Born 
     in Birmingham, Alabama in 1908, he spent most of his 
     childhood in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he first studied music 
     under very strict Dominican nuns. His tools then were Louis 
     Armstrong and a drummer named Jimmy Bertrand, who tossed his 
     sticks in the air as lights blinked from inside his bass drum 
     (a style Hamp still uses today in some of his shows).
       In 1930, Lionel finally got to meet Louis Armstrong. 
     Playing in a backup band for ``Satchmo'' at a nightclub in 
     L.A. Hamp so impressed Louis that he invited him to a 
     recording session. Armstrong spotted a set of vibes in the 
     studio and asked Hamp if he knew how to play them. Never one 
     to refuse a challenge, Lionel (who knew keyboards well) 
     picked up the mallets. The first tune they cut was ``Memories 
     of You,'' a new number just written by Eubie Blake, and it 
     became a hit for Louis. John Hammond, great jazz impresario, 
     heard the record and began touting Lionel's vibes work to 
     Benny Goodman.
       In August, 1936, Hammond flew out to L.A. and brought 
     Goodman in to the Paradise Club to hear Lionel play. At that 
     time, Benny had a trio within his big band featuring Teddy 
     Wilson on piano and Gene Krupa on drums. ``Next thing you 
     know,'' recalls Hamp, ``I was out there on stage jamming with 
     these great musicians. That's one session I'll never forget''
       To make a long story short, the Benny Goodman Trio became a 
     quartet and made history-not only with the brilliant music 
     they produced, but because they were the first racially-
     integrated group in the nation. The foursome recorded 
     ``Memories of You,'' ``Moonglow,'' and ``Dinah.'' Hamp spent 
     the next four years with Goodman as the quartet developed 
     into the hottest jazz group in the world.
       In the early 1940's, Lionel left Benny Goodman to form his 
     own big band after the release of a couple of wildly 
     successfully RCA singles under his own name: ``Sunny Side of 
     the Street'' (on which he sang as well as playing vibes) and 
     ``Central Avenue Breakdown'' (on which he played piano with 
     two fingers, using them like vibes mallets.)
       His first big band included such sidemen as Dexter Gordon 
     and Illinois Jacquet, and he busted the charts with his 
     recording of ``Flying Home'' in 1942 and ``Hamp's Boogie 
     Woogie'' in 1943. Among the sidemen who got their start with 
     Lionel Hampton are Quincy Jones, Wes Montgomery, Clark Terry, 
     Cat Anderson, Ernie Royal, Joe Newman, Fats Navarro, Charlie 
     Mingus, Al Grey, Art Farmer, and, of course, the singers: 
     Dinah Washington (who was discovered-and named-by Hamp while 
     working in the powder room of Chicago's Regal Theater), Joe 
     Williams, Betty (Be Bop) Carter the great Aretha Franklin, 
     among others.

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time, and I urge passage of this resolution.
  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, far be it for me to add to the eloquence of 
the gentleman from Michigan, but I would just say that Lionel Hampton 
has been a groundbreaker throughout his career, throughout his life. He 
has been an internationally acclaimed giant of music, and because he is 
an internationally acclaimed giant of music, he has an been 
internationally acclaimed giant of communication, because we find many 
times in music one voice and we find one spirit, and that is what 
Lionel Hampton has brought to the world. We are to celebrate his 94th 
birthday.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask in closing that all Members support this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pence). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter) that the House suspend 
the rules and concur in the Senate concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 
101.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate concurrent resolution 
was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________