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Paul Hampton
Paul Hampton finds musical inspiration everywhere he goes. In fact, the Grammy nominated and award-winning composer and songwriter's latest song, "Hope," was written after an empowering encounter with an injured bird while aboard a cruise ship. "I noticed there was a bird following the ship, and this bird looked like it had no wings," says Hampton, whose song was recorded by Tony Award-winning singer and actress Idina Menzel for MLB.com to benefit the Stand Up To Cancer initiative. "It was just sailing along, hitchhiking on the ship. And I feel so many times like I'm a bird with no wings, (so) when I saw this bird ... I went down to the third floor, where there's the piano bar, and I sat down at the piano and immediately and started playing this piano feel of a bird flying. And all of a sudden, I was there. I was the bird." The result is a plaintive, soaring anthem to what Hampton considers our most important human possession. "I'm looking at the world today and I'm saying to myself, 'What is the one thing that people are losing the most?' If they've lost their wealth, that's one thing. If they're losing their health, it's even worse. But to lose hope (means) you've lost everything. So I thought, 'That's what I need to do.'" Hampton says the melody came quickly and that while writing it, he could feel the spirit of his late mother looking down on him with heartfelt approval. And then, when he returned to his New York home after the cruise, the lyrics came easily as well. "Only hope can really change your life," Hampton says. "Without it you're nothing. ... Only hope can light the way. No money. No platinum card laid out there. No gift. No Rolls-Royce. "Nothing material. Only hope can heal the heart." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIAp5jENLQI
An actor, singer, composer, lyricist, and writer, Paul Hampton is listed as one of the one hundred major architects of American rock and roll, in the British rock journal, "Footsoldiers and Kings". He attended Dartmouth College, where by his sophomore year he was simultaneously signed by Columbia Records and Columbia Pictures to write music with Hal David and Burt Bacharach. He has written songs which have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Gene Pitney, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Merle Haggard, Tom Jones, Eddy Arnold, Bette Midler and Sammy Davis Jr.. He has also written lyrics, composed music, and collaborated on the book for a musical, "Love is a Crime". It's a culmination of years of songwriting, based on a concept and an idea he has had for a long time, of wanting to put "Love" on trial, theatrically and musically. In 2008 Tony award winning actress and singer Idina Menzel recorded Hampton's song "Hope" for the Major League Baseball Stand Up To Cancer charitable program. See video here: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/entertainment/artists/idinamenzel/index.jsp His songs have been recorded by Sammy Davis Jr., Bette Midler, Eddy Arnold, Tom Jones, Merle Haggard, Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Gene Pitney and Johnny Cash. Grammy Nominated and ASCAP award winning songwriter for "Sea of Heartbreak", used in the soundtrack of The Butcher Boy (1997), Perfect World (1997), Heartbreak Ridge (1986) and Clay Pigeons (1998). His film career began in 1958 starring in Senior Prom. Many television appearances ensued such as The Doris Day Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, McCloud, Ironside, Combat!, Benson and others. Some notable movie appearances were in Lady Sings the Blues, Hit!, More Dead than Alive," and the award-winning television show Never Forget. Hampton continues to act and compose today (2010). http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0359035/bio