The Hampton Sisters
The Hampton Sisters, an African-American quartet of jazz musicians was formed in Indianapolis, Indiana, during World War II. The group initially consisted of four siblings: Aletra Hampton (October 8, 1915 – November 13, 2007), Carmalita Hampton (died May 15, 1987), Virtue Hampton Whitted (February 22, 1922 – January 17, 2007), and Dawn Hampton (June 8, 1928 – September 25, 2016). Although the Middletown, Ohio, natives signed a recording contract in 1954, they were better known for their live performances as part of their family's jazz band during the 1940s and 1950s and as the Hampton Sisters. The Hampton family of four sisters and five brothers performed at New York City's Carnegie Hall and Harlem's Apollo Theater and the Savoy Ballroom. The group also toured the United States and performed as the house band at nightclubs in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, Ohio. Dawn Hampton left the group in 1958 to pursue a solo career as a New York City cabaret singer and, later, a swing dancer, while the other sisters formed a trio and continued to perform as the Hampton Sisters for several more years. Carmalita reunited with her sisters, Aletra and Virtue, in 1981, after a nearly twenty-year break. Following Carmalita's death in 1987, Aletra and Virtue performed as the Hampton Sisters duo, mostly in the Indianapolis area, until 2006.
The Hamptons were the recipients of several awards for their contributions to Indiana's musical heritage, including a Governor Arts Award (1991). Aletra Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted were inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation's Hall of Fame (1999); received honorary doctorate of music degrees from the University of Indianapolis (2004); and were the recipients of NUVO newspaper's Cultural Vision Lifetime Achievement Award (2006). New York's Private Lives magazine recognized Dawn Hampton's career as a vocalist with a Lifetime Achievement in Cabaret Award.
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