The Hampton Sisters facts for kids

The Hampton Sisters were an amazing African-American jazz group. They started in Indianapolis, Indiana, during World War II. The group was made up of four sisters: Aletra Hampton (born 1915, died 2007), Carmalita Hampton (died 1987), Virtue Hampton Whitted (born 1922, died 2007), and Dawn Hampton (born 1928, died 2016).

Even though they signed a recording deal in 1954, they were most famous for their live shows. They performed as part of their family's big jazz band in the 1940s and 1950s, and also as the Hampton Sisters. Their family band played at famous places like New York City's Carnegie Hall, Harlem's Apollo Theater, and the Savoy Ballroom. They also toured all over the United States and were the main band at clubs in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dawn Hampton left the group in 1958 to become a solo singer and later a swing dancer in New York City. The other sisters continued as a trio for several more years. Carmalita rejoined Aletra and Virtue in 1981 after a long break. After Carmalita passed away in 1987, Aletra and Virtue performed as a duo, mostly in the Indianapolis area, until 2006.

The Hamptons received many awards for their musical talents in Indiana. These included a Governor Arts Award in 1991. Aletra Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted were added to the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1999. They also received special music degrees from the University of Indianapolis in 2004 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from NUVO newspaper in 2006. Dawn Hampton was honored with a Lifetime Achievement in Cabaret Award by Private Lives magazine in New York.

Growing Up and Family Life

The Hampton sisters were born in Middletown, Butler County, Ohio. Aletra was the oldest of twelve children, born on October 8, 1915. Then came Carmalita, followed by Virtue on February 22, 1922, and the youngest, Dawn, on June 8, 1928.

Their parents were Laura (Burford) from Richmond, Virginia, and Clarke "Deacon" Hampton from Batavia, Ohio. Their father, Clarke, was born in 1877. He studied music and art and also worked as a carpenter and teacher. Laura and Clarke married in 1908. Both parents loved music and played instruments. Clarke Hampton taught himself to play the saxophone and drums. Laura Hampton played the piano.

Sadly, three of the twelve Hampton children died young. The five brothers who survived were Clarke Jr. "Duke," Marcus, Russell "Lucky," Maceo, and Locksley "Slide". The Hampton sisters did not have formal music lessons. However, their parents taught each child to play at least one instrument. Aletra played piano, Carmalita played the baritone saxophone, Virtue played the double bass, and Dawn played the alto saxophone.

Under their father's guidance, all the Hampton children started performing in the family band when they were very young. Besides playing instruments, the Hampton sisters also became singers. Carmalita was great at Latin songs, Aletra specialized in jazz and blues music, and Dawn sang beautiful ballads.

Aletra Hampton got married and had children, but her marriage ended after fourteen years. Her daughter, Paula Hampton, became a drummer and singer. Virtue Hampton married Thomas Whitted Sr., who was a drummer in the Duke Hampton Orchestra. Their marriage lasted over fifty years before they divorced. Their son, Pharez Whitted, is a jazz trumpet player and music teacher in Chicago, Illinois. Carmalita had two children. Dawn Hampton never married and had no children.

The sisters' youngest brother, "Slide" Hampton, became a famous jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger. He won two Grammy Awards and received a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2005.

Musical Journey and Performances

The Hampton sisters started performing at a young age with their family band. During World War II, they also formed their own quartet. They performed with their oldest brother Duke's jazz orchestra. When Duke's band stopped performing in the 1950s, Aletra, Carmalita, and Virtue formed a trio called the Hampton Sisters. They performed for several more years. The trio got back together in 1981 after almost twenty years. Their youngest sister, Dawn, started a solo career in New York City. After Carmalita passed away in 1987, Aletra and Virtue performed as a jazz duo until 2006.

Early Performances

The Hampton family band was first called Deacon Hampton's Pickaninny Band. But because of the negative meaning of the name, it was changed to Deacon Hampton's Family Band. They also used names like Deacon Hampton and His Band, or Deacon Hampton and the Cotton Pickers. The family traveled across the Midwest and the East. They performed a vaudeville-style show at fairs, carnivals, tent shows, and private parties.

Besides dancing and comedy skits, the band played many types of music. These included country, swing, rhythm and blues, polka, and jazz. In 1938, the family tried to find work in the Hollywood film industry in California, but it didn't work out. So, the Hamptons settled in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area and continued to tour and perform with their band.

Becoming Jazz Stars

During World War II, the family band took a short break. But the four Hampton sisters formed a quartet called The Hamptonians. Later, they performed as the Hampton Sisters in local clubs. When their father retired in 1945, their oldest brother, Duke, took over the family band. The sisters joined his fourteen-piece orchestra.

Duke Hampton's swing band included the Hampton siblings and other famous Indianapolis jazz musicians. These included Alonzo "Pookie" Johnson and Bill Penick on saxophone, Eugene Fowlkes on trombone and bass, and drummers Sonny Johnson, Dick Dickerson, and Thomas Whitted. Virtue Hampton, who married Thomas Whitted, said that everyone in the group had a role, and no one was seen as the only star.

In May 1952, Duke Hampton's band won a popularity poll from the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper. The Hampton siblings then performed at New York City's Carnegie Hall. They shared the stage with the Lionel Hampton band, the Nat King Cole Trio, and singer Billy Eckstein. During the concert, the Hamptons played "The Push," a song written by their brother, "Lucky" Hampton. Duke Hampton's band later returned to New York to perform at Harlem's Apollo Theater and the Savoy Ballroom.

Besides touring, the Hamptons were the main band at Indianapolis nightclubs. These included the Cotton Club and the Sunset Terrace along Indiana Avenue. This area was the center of the city's jazz scene and a lively place for the city's African-American community. They also played for a long time at a club on North Meridian Street, which was known by different names like Stein's, Nick and Jerry's, and Jim and Hy's. Duke Hampton's band continued to tour the United States. Later, they became the main band at the Cotton Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. When the group was not touring, the Hampton family home in Indianapolis was a gathering place for local jazz musicians to practice with the band. David Baker, a former jazz professor, said, "These siblings were the biggest music stars on the Avenue in the 1940s and '50s."

Making Records

In 1954, the Hampton Sisters signed a recording contract. Their first record was "Hey Little Boy," a fast "jump" song, and "My Heart Tells Me," a love song. Aletra Hampton also sang on the Hampton family band's recording of "Lonesome Women Blues." Other well-known songs she sang include "Baby Please Be Good To Me" and "The Push," which was a family favorite.

Later Years and New Paths

After Duke Hampton's group broke up in the 1950s, Dawn Hampton started a solo career in 1959. She became a cabaret singer and later a swing dancer in New York City. Aletra, Virtue, and Carmalita Hampton continued to perform as the Hampton Sisters.

Dawn Hampton almost lost her voice in 1964, but she recovered and kept performing for another twenty years. She wrote and recorded "Life Is What You Make It," which was the title song of her compact disc. This song was her way of responding to that difficult time. In 1989, she worked with Mark Nedler to write music and lyrics for Red Light, a short opera that won an award in 1990. She also helped write music and lyrics for a play called Madame C. J. Walker in 1990. She appeared as a dancer in the swing dance scene of Spike Lee's film, Malcolm X (1992).

Carmalita Hampton eventually moved to Chicago, Illinois. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service for seventeen years, retiring in 1978. After returning to Indianapolis in 1981, she reunited with her sisters, Aletra and Virtue. They performed as the Hampton Sisters trio after being apart for almost twenty years. After Carmalita's death in 1987, Aletra and Virtue Hampton continued as a jazz duo. They performed mostly in the Indianapolis area.

In 2003, the Indiana Historical Society released The Hampton Sisters, A Jazz Tribute. This compact disc featured Aletra Hampton on piano and vocals, Virtue Hampton Whitted on bass and vocals, Alonzo "Pookie" Johnson on saxophone, and Lawrence Clark III on drums. The Hampton Sisters continued to perform together until 2006. The Hampton family was also the subject of a PBS documentary called The Unforgettable Hampton Family (2011). Dawn, Virtue, and Aletra Hampton appeared in the film with two of their brothers, Locksley "Slide" and Maceo Hampton.

Passing and Lasting Impact

Carmalita Hampton passed away in Indianapolis on May 15, 1987. Virtue Hampton Whitted died in Indianapolis on January 17, 2007, at age eighty-four. Aletra Hampton died in Indianapolis on November 12, 2007, at age ninety-two. Dawn Hampton passed away in New York City on September 25, 2016, at age eighty-eight. Aletra Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted are buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Aletra Hampton often described her musical family by saying, "We are not what you call musicians, we are musical performers, and there is a difference." For many years in the mid-1900s, the Hampton Sisters were especially well-known in the Indianapolis area for their jazz and swing music. Dawn Hampton also became famous in New York City for her cabaret singing and jazz music, as well as being a songwriter and swing dancer. Critics called her a "singer's singer" and the "Queen of Cabaret."

Awards and Special Recognitions

• The Hampton family received Indiana's Governor Arts Award in 1991. This was for their important contributions to the state's music history.
• In 1999, the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation added Aletra Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted to their Hall of Fame.
• On November 16, 2003, the Indiana Historical Society held a special concert to honor Aletra Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted.
• In 2004, Aletra Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted were given special honorary doctorate degrees in music from the University of Indianapolis.
• In 2006, Aletra Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted received the Cultural Vision Lifetime Achievement Award from Indianapolis NUVO newspaper.
• New York's Private Lives magazine honored Dawn Hampton's singing career with a Lifetime Achievement in Cabaret Award.

Music Recordings

• Aletra Hampton was the singer on the Hampton family band's recording of "Lonesome Women Blues." She also sang "The Push," which was written by her brother, "Lucky" Hampton.
• Aletra Hampton sang "Please Be Good To Me" with Duke Hampton and His Orchestra. This song was on the album Rare Blues Girls from King (LP, compilation) in 1988 by Sing Records.
• The Hampton Sisters, A Jazz Tribute (CD) was released in 2003 by the Indiana Historical Society.