Black and white players hadn't appeared together in public before Teddy Wilson and I began working with B.G.
Lionel Hampton

Every day I look forward to getting with my instruments, trying new things.
Lionel Hampton

Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.
Lionel Hampton

I feel honored to have been a part of that dramatic change.
Lionel Hampton

I think I love it more as I get older because I keep getting better on drums, vibes and piano.
Lionel Hampton

I worked hard learning harmony and theory when I was growing up in Chicago in the 1920s.
Lionel Hampton

Music was our wife, and we loved her. And we stayed with her, and we clothed her, and we put diamond rings on her hands.
Lionel Hampton

Playing gives me as much good feeling now as it did when I was a bitty kid.
Lionel Hampton

Playing is my way of thinking, talking, communicating.
Lionel Hampton

Seemed to me that drumming was the best way to get close to God.
Lionel Hampton


So I always figured I'd still be playing at this age.
Lionel Hampton

The secret is keeping busy, and loving what you do.
Lionel Hampton

Working with Benny was important for me and for black musicians in general.
Lionel Hampton