Bruce Hampton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruce Hampton
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Hampton performing in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gustav Valentine Berglund III |
| Born | April 30, 1947 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | May 1, 2017 (aged 70) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, actor |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1960–2017 |
| Labels | Brato Ganibe, Capricorn, Columbia |
Bruce Hampton (born Gustav Valentine Berglund III; April 30, 1947 – May 1, 2017) was a super creative American musician. He was known for his unique style that mixed jazz, rock, and jam band sounds. Bruce was a very important person in the Atlanta, Georgia music scene. He helped many other musicians who later became famous across the country.
Bruce first became well-known as the leader of the Hampton Grease Band. He often used the fun stage name Colonel Hampton B. Coles, Retired or Col. Bruce Hampton Ret.. Sometimes, he even played a special small guitar called a "chazoid." Later, he started many other bands. Some of these bands included The Late Bronze Age, The Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Fiji Mariners, The Codetalkers, The Quark Alliance, Pharaoh Gummitt, and Madrid Express.
Contents
Bruce Hampton's Music Journey
As part of the Hampton Grease Band, Bruce Hampton helped make the 1971 album Music to Eat. People say this album was one of the lowest-selling albums in Columbia Records history!
Bruce's band The Late Bronze Age had some cool members. Bruce Hampton (known as "Col. Hampton B. Coles, Ret.") sang and played slide guitar, mandolin, and his special chazoid. Other members played guitar, saxophone, keyboards, bass, and drums. They even played some songs in a 1983 movie called Getting It On.
Bruce also helped start the H.O.R.D.E. tours in the 1990s. These were big music festivals. His most famous band to play at H.O.R.D.E. was the jazz-rock group Aquarium Rescue Unit. This band was known for its amazing improvised music. It featured talented musicians like Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, and Jeff Sipe.
In 1994, Bruce formed a progressive rock and jazz duo called Fiji Mariners. They recorded two albums. Later, more musicians joined the band.
Bruce Hampton: Actor and Inspiration
Bruce Hampton wasn't just a musician; he was also an actor!
- In 1998, he was the voice of Warren, a talking plant, on the TV show Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
- He played Morris, a band manager who wrote songs, in Billy Bob Thornton's 1996 movie Sling Blade.
- Bruce also starred in Mike Gordon's 2001 movie Outside Out. In this film, he played a guitar teacher who taught a unique way of playing.
- In 2015, Bruce played the main character, Dicky, in the movie Here Comes Rusty. This film also featured actors like Fred Willard and Joey Lauren Adams.
A famous blues singer and good friend, Susan Tedeschi, wrote a song about Bruce called "Hampmotized." It was on her 2002 album Wait For Me. Bruce returned the favor by writing a song called "Susan T."
A documentary film called Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Col. Bruce Hampton, Ret. was made about Bruce. It first showed at the Atlanta Film Festival in 2012.
In 2012, the Governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, gave Bruce Hampton the Governor's Award In The Arts and Humanities. This award recognized his important contributions to music and art.
In 2014, Bruce made a quick appearance in the music video for the rap group Run The Jewels' song "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1."
A Special Birthday Concert
On May 1, 2017, Bruce Hampton was honored at a big concert for his 70th birthday. The concert was held at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. It was called Hampton 70: A Celebration of Col. Bruce Hampton. Many famous musicians came to play and celebrate with him. Some of these included members of Widespread Panic, Peter Buck from R.E.M, Jon Fishman from Phish, Warren Haynes, John Popper from Blues Traveler, and Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi from the Tedeschi Trucks Band. A young guitar player, Brandon Niederauer, who was only 13 years old, also performed.
During the very last song of the concert, Bruce Hampton passed away on stage. It happened while he was celebrating his birthday with all his friends and fans. At first, some people thought it might be one of his famous jokes, as he sometimes pretended to fall during shows. But soon, everyone realized it was serious. Bruce was taken off stage and died shortly after at a hospital in Atlanta. It was a sad end to a wonderful celebration of his life and music.
Bruce Hampton's Albums
Main Albums
- 1971 – Music to Eat – Hampton Grease Band
- 1978 – One Ruined Life of a Bronze Tourist – Col. Bruce Hampton
- 1980 – Outside Looking Out – Col. Bruce Hampton and the Late Bronze Age
- 1982 – Isles of Langerhan – Col. Bruce Hampton and the Late Bronze Age
- 1987 – Arkansas – Col. Bruce Hampton
- 1992 – Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit – Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit
- 1993 – Mirrors of Embarrassment – Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit
- 1994 – Strange Voices: A History 1977–1987 – Col. Bruce Hampton
- 1996 – Fiji Mariners – Fiji Mariners featuring Col. Bruce Hampton
- 1998 – Live – Fiji Mariners featuring Col. Bruce Hampton
- 2000 – Bootleg Live! – The Codetalkers featuring Col. Bruce Hampton
- 2004 – Deluxe Edition – The Codetalkers featuring Col. Bruce Hampton
- 2006 – Now – The Codetalkers
- 2007 – Give Thanks to Chank – Col. Bruce & The Quark Alliance
- 2008 – Songs Of The Solar Ping – Col. Bruce Hampton, Ret.
- 2014 – Pharoah's Kitchen – Col. Bruce Hampton, Ret.
- 2017 – Live at The Vista Room – Col. Bruce Hampton and The Madrid Express
As a Guest Musician
Bruce Hampton also played on albums by other artists:
- 1967 – We're Only In It For The Money – Frank Zappa
- 2002 – Wait for me – Susan Tedeschi
- 2002 – Uninvisible – Medeski Martin & Wood
- 2002 – Live in the Classic City – Widespread Panic
- 2003 – Inside In – Mike Gordon
See also
In Spanish: Bruce Hampton para niños
