Here are Lionel Hampton's off-the-cuff recollections of contemporaries like Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Teddy Wilson, Nat King Cole,Ella Fitzgerald, and Josephine Baker. And here are rare glimpses into the early careers of stars nurtured by him, such as Dinah Washington, Joe Williams, Quincy Jones, Dexter Gordon, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Gregory Hines.

This is the first and only book about Lionel Hampton, Kennedy Center Honoree for lifetime achievements in the arts. Hamp is a must read for the Hampton fans and music lovers everywhere. It is capped by a new, all -- inclusive discography compiled by Vincent H. Pelote, a librarian at the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University.