Flying Home is a jazz and jump blues tune credited to Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman with lyrics by Sid Robin. It was first recorded by the Benny Goodman Sextet in 1939, featuring Hampton on vibraphone and Charlie Christian on guitar, with Fletcher Henderson on piano, Artie Bernstein on bass, and Nick Fatool on drums. The story behind the tune brings a memorable origin: Hampton whistled a melody to ease his nerves on a plane, Goodman asked its name, and the band premiered it that night as “Flying Home.” A famous later recording by Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra in 1942 features a legendary two‑chorus solo by Illinois Jacquet on tenor sax, helping to popularize a horn‑driven, rhythm‑and‑blues‑tinged style. Over the years many artists have covered Flying Home, and it has appeared on various albums and compilations; it won a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1996 and is often cited as a landmark in jazz and early R&B.
