Aletra Hampton facts for kids

Aletra Hampton (born October 8, 1915 – died November 12, 2007) was an American jazz pianist and singer. She was well-known for her performances in the 1940s and 1950s. Aletra was a key member of the Hampton family band and The Hampton Sisters. This quartet was formed during World War II with her sisters Carmalita, Virtue, and Dawn.

Aletra was born in Middletown, Ohio. She started performing music at a young age. In 1938, her family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. Aletra and her eight siblings played in Duke Hampton's band, which was led by their oldest brother. This jazz orchestra became very popular. They were the main band at nightclubs in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, Ohio. They also toured across the United States, playing at famous places like New York City's Carnegie Hall, Harlem's Apollo Theater, and the Savoy Ballroom.

The family band stopped performing in the 1950s. However, Aletra and two of her sisters, Virtue and Carmalita, continued as the Hampton Sisters for several more years. The trio reunited in Indianapolis in 1981 after almost twenty years. Aletra and her sister Virtue then performed as a duo, mostly in Indianapolis, until 2006.

Aletra Hampton and her siblings received Indiana's Governor Arts Award in 1991. This award honored their important contributions to the state's music. Aletra was also inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1999. She received an honorary doctorate of music from the University of Indianapolis in 2004. In 2006, she got a Cultural Vision Lifetime Achievement Award from NUVO newspaper. The Indiana Historical Society released The Hampton Sisters, A Jazz Tribute in 2003. This compact disc featured Aletra and Virtue Hampton. Aletra's musical family includes her brother, "Slide" Hampton, a famous National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. Her sister Dawn was a well-known New York City cabaret singer and swing dancer. Her nephew, Pharez Whitted, is a jazz trumpet player.

Aletra's Early Life and Musical Family

Aletra Hampton was born on October 8, 1915, in Middletown, Ohio. She was the oldest of Laura and Clarke "Deacon" Hampton's twelve children. Both of Aletra's parents were musicians. Her father taught himself to play saxophone and drums. Her mother played the piano.

Aletra had eleven siblings, but three died young. Her eight surviving siblings included three sisters (Carmalita, Virtue, and Dawn) and five brothers (Clarke Jr. "Duke," Marcus, Russell "Lucky," Maceo, and Locksley "Slide"). Their parents made sure each child learned at least one musical instrument. Aletra did not have formal music lessons, but she learned to play the piano and also sang.

Under their father's guidance, the children began performing in the family band when they were young. The Hamptons moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1938. Aletra was in her early twenties at that time. Aletra married and had two children, but her marriage ended after fourteen years. Her youngest sister, Dawn Hampton, moved to New York City in 1958. She became a cabaret singer and swing dancer. "Slide" Hampton, their youngest brother, is a jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger. He has won two Grammy Awards and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2005.

Aletra's Music Career

Aletra Hampton started her long music career when she was very young. During World War II, she formed a quartet with her sisters. This group later became known as the Hampton Sisters. The women also performed with the Duke Hampton band, which was their oldest brother's jazz orchestra. When the family band broke up in the 1950s, Aletra, Carmalita, and Virtue Hampton continued as a trio called the Hampton Sisters for several more years. The three sisters reunited in 1981 after almost twenty years. Aletra and Virtue Hampton kept performing as a jazz duo until 2006.

The Family Band's Early Days

The family's band was first called Deacon Hampton's Pickaninny Band. Because of the negative meaning of the name, it was changed to Deacon Hampton's Family Band. It was also known as Deacon Hampton and His Band, or Deacon Hampton and the Cotton Pickers. The family traveled across the Midwest and the East. They performed at fairs, carnivals, tent shows, and private parties. Besides music, the band also included dancing and comedy skits. They played many types of music, such as country, swing, rhythm and blues, polka, and jazz. In 1938, the Hamptons tried to find work in the Hollywood film industry in California, but it didn't work out. So, they moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. There, the family band played in local clubs and continued to tour.

Becoming a Jazz Performer

During World War II, the family band took a break. Aletra and her sisters (Virtue, Carmalita, and Dawn) formed a quartet called The Hamptonians. They later performed as the Hampton Sisters. When their father retired in 1945, their oldest brother, Duke, became the leader of the family band. The sisters joined his fourteen-piece jazz orchestra. This group included the nine surviving Hampton siblings and other well-known musicians. Aletra Hampton was known as the "Warrior" among the musicians. She also had a quiet sense of humor.

In May 1952, Duke Hampton's band won a popularity poll from the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper. The group then performed at New York City's Carnegie Hall. They shared the stage with famous groups like the Lionel Hampton band and the Nat King Cole Trio. Duke Hampton's band returned to New York soon after to play at Harlem's Apollo Theater and the Savoy Ballroom. The group became the main band at the Cotton Club and the Sunset Terrace. These were two popular nightclubs on Indiana Avenue, which was a lively area for the black community in Indianapolis. Duke Hampton's band also toured the United States. Later, they became the main band at the Cotton Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. When the group was not on tour, the Hampton family home in Indianapolis was a place where local jazz musicians gathered to practice with the band. As jazz professor David Baker explained, "These siblings were the most important musicians on the Avenue in the 1940s and '50s."

In 1954, Hampton and her three sisters signed a recording contract. Their first record included "Hey Little Boy," a fast song, and "My Heart Tells Me," a love song. After Duke Hampton's group stopped performing in the 1950s, Aletra and her sisters, Virtue and Carmalita, continued as the Hampton Sisters for several more years. Carmalita Hampton later moved to Chicago, Illinois. Dawn, the youngest sister, and "Slide," the youngest brother, started their own careers in New York City. When Carmalita came back to Indianapolis in 1981, the Hampton Sisters trio reunited after nearly twenty years.

Aletra's Later Years

In her later years, Aletra Hampton felt it was important to share her family's musical history with new audiences. She especially wanted to reach students in Indianapolis schools. Aletra and Virtue Hampton continued to perform as a duo after Carmalita passed away in 1987. They mostly played in the Indianapolis area for school events and other gatherings until 2006. Also, the Indiana Historical Society released The Hampton Sisters, A Jazz Tribute in 2003. This compact disc featured Aletra Hampton on piano and vocals, Virtue Hampton on bass and vocals, Alonzo "Pookie" Johnson on saxophone, and Lawrence Clark III on drums.

Death and Lasting Impact

Aletra Hampton passed away in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 12, 2007, at ninety-two years old. She is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. This longtime Indianapolis jazz musician is best remembered for her strong singing and piano playing. She was a key part of the Hampton Sisters and the Hampton family jazz band.

Aletra Hampton's music career lasted more than eighty years. She was known for being a strong leader of the Hampton Sisters and for keeping the family band together. Drummer Lawrence Clark III also described her as a kind person with strong beliefs. Aletra gave credit to her father for her strong work ethic and discipline. She often described her musical family by saying, "We are not what you call musicians, we are musical performers, and there is a difference."

Awards and Special Recognitions

• In 1991, Aletra and other members of her family received Indiana's Governor Arts Award. This was for their important contributions to the state's musical history.
• In 1999, the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation welcomed Aletra Hampton and her sister, Virtue Hampton Whitted, into their Hall of Fame.
• On November 16, 2003, the Indiana Historical Society held a special concert to honor Hampton and her sister, Virtue Hampton Whitted.
• In 2004, Aletra Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted were given honorary doctorate of music degrees from the University of Indianapolis.
• In 2006, Indianapolis's NUVO newspaper gave the two Hampton sisters a Cultural Vision Lifetime Achievement Award.

Discography

• Vocalist on the Hampton family band's recording of "Lonesome Women Blues." Hampton also sang "The Push," which was written by her brother, "Lucky" Hampton.
• Vocalist, "Please Be Good To Me," with Duke Hampton and His Orchestra on Rare Blues Girls from King (LP, compilation), 1988, Sing Records.