Dawn Hampton | |
|---|---|
 Photographed in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dawn Hampton |
| Born | June 9, 1928 Middletown, Ohio |
| Died | September 25, 2016 (aged 88) New York City |
| Genres | Jazz, blues, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, saxophone |
Dawn Hampton (June 9, 1928 – September 25, 2016) was an American cabaret and jazz singer, saxophonist, dancer, and songwriter. Hampton began her lifelong career as a musical entertainer touring the Midwest as a three-year-old member of the Hampton family's band The Hampton Sisters in the late 1930s. During World War II and into early 1950s, she performed as part of a quartet with her three sisters and in a jazz band with all nine of her surviving siblings. Hampton moved to New York City in 1958 to pursue a solo career as a cabaret singer. She became a singer/songwriter and dancer, which included off-Broadway theatre performances and swing dancing in Hollywood films. Along with other members of the musical Hamptons, she was a recipient of the State of Indiana's Governor Arts Award (1991) and honored at the Indy Jazz Fest (2000) in Indianapolis, Indiana.