Pete Hampton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pete Hampton
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Pete Hampton with his de facto wife Laura Bowman.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Pete George Hampton |
| Born | August 7, 1871 Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States |
| Died | March 16, 1916 (aged 44) New York City |
| Genres | ragtime, coon songs, gospel, minstrel |
| Occupation(s) | vocalist, harmonica player, banjo player, composer, dancer |
| Instruments | harmonica, five-string banjo |
| Associated acts | In Dahomey |
Pete George Hampton (born August 7, 1871 – died March 16, 1916) was a talented American singer, harmonica player, and banjo player. He was also a vaudeville performer from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Pete Hampton was part of several Vaudeville groups. The most famous were In Dahomey and his own group, the Darktown Entertainers.
He made over 150 recordings during his career. These recordings were made in the United Kingdom and Germany between 1903 and 1911. In 1904, he made the first harmonica recording by an African American artist. This recording is seen as an important step in the history of blues harmonica music.
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Pete Hampton's Early Life and Career
Pete G. Hampton was born in 1871 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. As a teenager, he was part of a banjo quartet. This group performed in traveling medicine shows in Ohio.
In the 1890s, Hampton toured with minstrel troupes. These were popular shows with music, comedy, and dancing. He worked with famous performers like Bert Williams and George Walker. By 1902, he joined the musical comedy group In Dahomey.
Touring Europe and Forming a New Group
In 1903, the In Dahomey group went on tour in the United Kingdom. While there, Hampton met and fell in love with Laura Bowman. She was also a performer in the troupe. They became partners. In the same year, Hampton joined the Grand Lodge of Scotland, a fraternal organization.
After the original In Dahomey company broke up, Hampton and Bowman decided to start their own group. They formed the Darktown Entertainers quartet. Other singers in the group were Will Garland and Fred Douglas.
Adventures Across Europe
Hampton and his group toured many European countries. They visited Germany, Hungary, Austria, France, Switzerland, and Russia. They played many different styles of music.
However, growing problems in Russia forced the group to leave. They returned to England, where the group eventually stopped performing together.
Return to America and Final Years
After a short time back in the United States, Hampton and Bowman returned to London. They joined the second company of In Dahomey. This time, Hampton was one of the main actors.
In 1910, Hampton bought a house in England and settled down. But when the First World War started, the British government asked immigrants to leave. Hampton had to return to America. He got sick on the boat ride back to the United States. He never fully recovered from this illness. Pete Hampton died in 1916, three years after returning to America.
Pete Hampton's Musical Style and Recordings
Pete Hampton performed many different kinds of music. Even though he wasn't a blues musician in the usual sense, he is seen as a very important pioneer for blues harmonica.
He played the five-string banjo and the harmonica in his shows. Besides playing instruments, he was also a composer and a singer.
Pioneering Harmonica and Compositions
Hampton often performed songs that were part of the minstrel show tradition. These songs sometimes showed a stereotypical view of African Americans at the time. However, he also performed and recorded his own songs.
One of his own compositions was "Dat Mouth Organ Coon" from 1904. This song is considered the first harmonica song recorded by an African American artist. He recorded two versions of this song for different companies in 1904.
In Hampton's unique harmonica playing, you can hear early examples of a technique called bending. This technique is now used a lot in blues music.
Popular Songs and Recordings
Many of his recordings were in the minstrel show style. An example is "When You Die You Are a Long Time Dead," which was a lively and swinging tune. He also wrote other songs inspired by gospel and camp songs.
One of his most successful songs as a composer was "Lindy, Lindy, Sweet As Sugar Cane." He sold this song to the husband-and-wife singing duo Charles Johnson and Dora Dean.
During his career, Pete Hampton made over 150 recordings. These included phonograph cylinders and 78rpm records. Most of these were recorded in the United Kingdom and Germany.
