Dawn Hampton
| Dawn Hampton | |
|---|---|
Photographed in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dawn Hampton |
| Born | 1928 Middletown, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 2016 (aged 87–88) New York City |
| Genres | Jazz, blues, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, saxophone |
| Associated acts | Deacon Hampton and the Cotton Pickers, The Hamptonians, |
Dawn Hampton (1928 in Middletown, Ohio – September 25, 2016) was an American cabaret and jazz singer, saxophonist, dancer and songwriter.
Dawn Hampton is a distant cousin of Lionel Hampton.
Dawn Hampton's family had a very musical background. Her father Clark Deacon Hampton, Sr. lead a family band comprising 12 children. The family left Ohio early on in her life and traveled through the country as the "Deacon Hampton and the Cotton Pickers" playing Ragtime, blues, dixieland and polka numbers. In 1938, the family settled in Indianapolis where the children got education from the McArthur School of Music. From the age of 3, Dawn worked with the family band and vaudeville act.
During World War II Dawn Hampton then founded a short-lived group called The Hamptonians together with her sisters Carmalita (died 1987), Aletra (1915–2007) and Virtue (born 1921). After the war she played with her brother Clark "Duke" Hampton's jazz band on saxophone. This band mainly toured the west and south of the US. In 1950 she also performed in New York's Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater and the infamous Savoy Ballroom. She also played in the house band of Cincinnati's Cotton Club. She then performed together with her sisters as The Hampton Sisters.
After World War II, the 9 remaining family members were part of a 14-piece group. Dawn played alto and tenor saxophones, sang and danced. In 1950, the band played at Carnegie Hall.
In 1958, the band broke up and Dawn moved to New York to start a career as a songwriter and cabaret singer. She soon became part of the off-Broadway production Greenwich Village, U.S.A. which resided at a musical theater called Bon Soir. A recording from this play exists.
In the early 1960s, Hampton had a long-term contract as a singer in the nightclub Lions Den. She suffered some damage to her vocal chords in 1964, but kept performing as a cabaret singer in New York for another 20 years, although she experienced a loss of vocal volume. She also increased her work as a songwriter. This is when she wrote her signature song Life Is What You Make It.
In 1972, Dawn appeared at the infamous Continental Baths where she performed with artists such as Cab Calloway, Bette Midler and Barry Manilow.
In 1989, Dawn collaborated with Mark Nadler, writing music and lyrics for the honky-tonk mini-opera Red Light which was given the Manhattan Association of Cabarets award in 1990. Dawn and Mark also collaborated on An Evening with Dawn Hampton which enjoyed an extended run at Don't Tell Mama. Dawn also wrote the music and lyrics for the play Madame C. J. Walker.
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