Hampton, Lionel

Starting his career as a drummer, Lionel Hampton's switch to vibraphone was due to a request from Louis Armstrong on a 1930 recording date. From there on out, this would be the instrument that Hampton would be associated with for the rest of his life. Despite a fairly notable career working as a sideman and bandleader, it was Hampton's association with Benny Goodman beginning in 1936 that would turn him into a star.

After leaving Goodman in 1940, Hampton formed his own band, which would have its first major hit with 1942's "Flying Home," featuring a classic tenor saxophone solo from rising star Illinois Jacquet. He would remain a bandleader for the rest of his life, with his 1940s and 1950s outlets featuring a who's who of young, up-and-coming jazz stars.

Although his popularity waned in the 1960s, Hampton continued to tour and record regularly, receiving several high profile awards along the way. The Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho is the first music program at an institute of secondary education named after a jazz musician. Hampton passed away in 2002.