Name: Lionel Hampton on Letterman, 1980 (m) and 1987 (st.)
Uploaded: 2021-11-05T04:03:20.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Lionel Hampton on Letterman, 1980 (m) and 1987 (st.)' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2021-11-05. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Lionel Hampton on Letterman, 1980 (m) and 1987 (st.)' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2021-11-05. Transcript available.

Thank you very much.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, a man who has helped create musical history for over
50 years,
the king of the vibes, Mr. Lionel Hampton.
Thank you.
Thank you.
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Thank you.
We'll be back to talk with Lionel Hampton.
We'll be coming to the state of the event.
Lionel Hampton, let me ask you a couple of questions.
This is a vibraphone, right?
Yeah, one company makes a vibraphone, another company makes a vibraphone.
My company makes a vibraphone.
Okay.
Forget about the vibraphone.
Leave it over there.
What's the difference between this and a marimba?
Well, marimba's made out of wood, but this is made out of metal,
and it has a motor in here, you know what I'm saying?
It has a pedal to look at.
That provides the vibration, yeah, vibrato.
No, play without the...
Yeah, not nearly as much fun that way.
Yeah.
Then everybody I talk to in show business, at one point in their life,
there's been one person or maybe two people or one event
that's been responsible for really setting them into a road of success.
Who was that for you?
Well, Louis Armstrong, especially with the Bible harps.
I was a drummer playing in a band in Los Angeles, California,
and we had a choice of, we had a chance to play with Louis Armstrong.
And he liked it so well that he has a record with him.
We got a recording studio that was a set of Bible harps sitting in the corner.
At that time, the drummer was only playing NBC, you understand?
Play that for us.
Where is that on there?
You see?
Oh, yeah.
That wasn't it either.
Wait a minute.
I think that was PBS.
What is it?
Now, I know.
How does ABC go?
I think they all have one, don't they?
It does.
But anyway, there was a set of Bible harps in the corner.
So Louis said, do you know anything about the instrument?
And I said, sure, because I had studied when I was to play
in the Chicago Defender Newspaper Boys Band in Chicago.
Chicago the Friendly Newspaper Boys Band?
Chicago the Defender.
Oh, Defender, the Chicago Defender.
Yeah, that's the name of the paper.
Okay.
Newspaper Boys Band.
Right.
And I learned how to be a percussionist,
and I learned to play the Xellophones,
or the Marimas, as you call them.
And so I used to listen at the records of,
in fact, the whole band used to listen to records
of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong
and the guys who were very outstanding in jazz in those days.
And I was to listen to them,
and I was to listen to them play all their solos,
note for note, by memory.
You know what I'm saying?
So when I got in the studio and Louis asked me
did I know anything about this instrument,
it was a new instrument, just like the Xellophones,
but it had the motor.
And so I said, yeah.
So he said, play something for me.
We was in a recording session.
And so, Ubi Blake, you know.
Oh, sure, yeah.
Well, he had sent Louis a song
and asked Louis to record it for him.
And the name of the song was Memories of You.
So Louis asked me to play on it,
and I played the introduction on Memories of You,
and that was the first time jazz
they ever played on the Vibe Awards.
Terrific.
Now, you also, Dinah Washington,
you had an important part in her career.
Nah, well, then I got the orchestra of my own
after I left Benny Goodman.
I stayed with Benny Goodman's Quartet for four years.
And then I started recruiting people
to come into my band.
I needed a singer, and I got in Chicago,
and it was a girl by the name of Dinah,
well, Ruth Jones was her name.
Ruth Jones.
And so she did an audition for my band,
and I liked her singing.
So I said, hey, can I change your name?
She said, I don't care what you call me
as long as you give me the job.
So I looked up, and I said,
now your name will be Dinah Washington.
Dinah Washington.
That's what they said to me when I took this show.
I said, anything you can tell me.
All right, show me how to play this thing.
What can we do here?
So your name is going to be a name?
Anything, just as long as I can play.
All right, okay, Dave.
You do that.
Here you go.
Ain't no fair, don't improvise.
That's right.
Thank you, Lionel.
Real nice.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate it.
Yeah, no, yeah.
That was all right.
Lionel, thank you very much.
I appreciate it.
You're doing us a great favor.
Thank you, Lionel.
Lionel, thank you very much.
It starts the other week.
Yeah, thank you very much.
In a couple of minutes, you're going to hear from Lionel Hampton.
He'll be playing with Paul in our band.
And tomorrow on the program, from ABC News, Sam Donaldson will be here,
their White House correspondent, and singer Ima Sumac.
And from Saturday Night Live, Dan Hooks.
That will be tomorrow.
And Lionel Hampton is about to join us in a couple of...
Faith in the garden, everybody.
Faith in the garden.
What kind of promotion.
Oh, look at there.
I'll be darned.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Happy St. Paddy's Day.
It's the one and all.
It's our little leprechaun friend, Chris Hilly.
Chris, nice to see you.
How are you?
I'm doing fine, Dave.
I guess you brought us a holiday wish of goodwill and good luck,
and perhaps you're going to read for us now a magical limerick,
something like that, huh?
Well, that's a good idea, Dave,
but I think I'll entertain you all with a little jig.
And here I go.
You can help me along by clapping.
Now, come on.
One, two, three, four.
Let's go.
One.
Ah, not so loud, man.
Not so loud.
Your damn clapping sounds like thunder in me wee ears.
I'm terribly...
Okay, come on.
Here I go.
Okay, a little jig.
Oh, Dave, me boy.
I think I'm going to be sick.
Well, maybe, Chris, why don't you lie down a little bit, Chris?
Just rest for a second.
No, I'm serious, Dave.
I think I am going to be sick.
I'm all right.
It's just I've been up early.
I haven't had a lot to eat.
I was at the parade at around 10 with a couple of buddies from Passaic.
I've been there all day.
I think I'll be all right.
Let me just go ahead and do this stupid jig here.
I'm sorry.
Can I borrow your mug a second?
Oh, sure.
Go ahead.
Go ahead.
Chris.
Chris, thank you.
I'm fine.
Let me just go on.
Chris, why don't you have Wendell drive you home or something?
No.
I think I'm going to walk, Dave.
I think the fresh air will probably do me good.
Okay.
I'll be fine.
And a happy St. Paddy's day to everybody.
Happy St. Paddy's day.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
That certainly was mystical, wasn't it?
Our next guest has been performing for the last 60 years and has well earned
the right
to be called a legend.
He has worked with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Nat King
Cole, and he is
the man credited with making the vibes a jazz instrument.
Here tonight with Paul and our band, it's a pleasure to welcome Lionel Hampton.
Lionel, how are you?
Nice to see you.
Nice to see you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop,
bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop,
bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop,
bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop,
bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop,
Doin' the boogie woogie
Doin' the boogie woogie
Doin' the boogie woogie
Doin' the woogie woogie woogie
All night long
Yeah
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
Ryan Al
Nice job
We'll be right back, folks
Very nice
Thank you so much
Nice job
What are you playing over there?
Those are vibra harp
Yeah, well, one company makes the vibra harp
Another company make the vibraphone
And what's the xylophone?
That's the...
That's the wooden instrument
That's the daddy of the vibes
From which these have evolved
Yeah
And what are marimbas?
And what are marimbas?
Marimbas, that's something else that's involved from the xylophone
And you can play them all?
Yeah, oh yeah
Pretty much the same kind of deal, huh?
Yeah, same keyboard
Yeah, yeah
Tell me your joke
Tell you your joke?
Yeah
Oh, all right
St. Patrick's joke, huh?
Yeah
Well, you know...
It was your idea
Well, you know, down in Atlantic City, everybody goes down as a gambler, you
know, mostly primary
And so, um, the kids came gambling in the casino, so they...
Gotta be 21, I guess
Yeah, they're gambling in the street
Uh-huh
So, there's three kids gambling out in the street
And, uh, they were shooting dice
So, the priest, the padre of the community came by and said,
Say, boy, say, throw those dice away
Say, that's a sin, gambling
Uh-huh
Said, you do throw them away and I'm gonna show you how to make honest dollars
All right
Make honest bucks
So, he said, the first one to tell me who's the most famous man in the world
will get this buck
So, he asked the little Mexican boy
And the little Mexican boy said, father said, we in Mexico had a great, uh,
liberator
And he liberated and gave freedom to Mexico
And he's the most famous man in the world
Uh, uh, Poncho, not Poncho
Poncho, we are
Yeah, yeah, one to zero
Yeah, yeah, one to zero
Yeah, one of those cats
One of those cats
One of those cats, right
Yeah
All right
Juarez
Juarez, yeah, right
Magellan
Any of them
Yeah, right
So, then, he said, yeah, he's famous, but not the most famous man in the world
So, he asked the little black kid, he said, who's the most famous man in the
world
So, he said, Marvin Hagner, father
Marvin Hagner
Yeah, of course, he's a great fighter, see
He said, well, he's famous, but not the most famous man in the world
Then, he asked the little Jewish boy
He said, tell me, son, who's the most famous man in the world
So, the kid said, St. Patrick, father
So, his father gave him the money
He said, well, son, tell me how you happened to arrive at the right answer
He said, father, deep down in my heart, I know it was Moses
But business is business
We're almost out of time, Lionel, nice to see you again
Thank you very much for coming
Delightful to listen to you play
Ricardo Montalban, could that have been it?
No
My thanks also to Catherine Harrell
And everybody who helped us out with stupid Petricks
Tomorrow, kids
From ABC News, Sam Donaldson
Ima Sumac
And from Saturday Night Live, Jan Hooks
Thank you, folks
Goodbye
Goodbye