Hampton String Quartet

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{{short description|American musical act}}

The Hampton String Quartet, alternately known as the Hampton Rock String Quartet, is a string quartet specializing in rock music and other popular styles using two violins, a viola and a cello.{{cite news |title=845 Life: Cello pro John Reed creates an app for musicians |url=https://www.recordonline.com/news/20171217/845-life-cello-pro-john-reed-creates-app-for-musicians |access-date=4 March 2021 |work=Times Herald Record |date=17 December 2017 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=SISTI |first1=MARK |title=MUSIC SCENE: Opus Black not a traditional string quartet |url=https://www.uticaod.com/news/20180222/music-scene-opus-black-not-traditional-string-quartet |access-date=4 March 2021 |work=Utica Observer-Dispatch |date=22 February 2018 |language=en}} In 1998 they were nominated for a Grammy Award,{{cite web |title=Hampton String Quartet |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/hampton-string-quartet/14741 |website=GRAMMY.com |access-date=4 March 2021 |language=en |date=23 November 2020}} and as of 2012 they were the best selling string quartet with over 1 million CDs sold in the US alone.{{cite web |title=KSO and Hampton String Quartet – Visual and Performing Arts News |date=5 December 2012 |url=https://blogs.mtu.edu/vpa/2012/12/05/kso-and-hampton-string-quartet/ |access-date=4 March 2021 |language=en}}

According to the liner notes of their 1986 debut album, What if Mozart wrote "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", the quartet was formed specifically for that album in response to RCA's desire to record string quartet arrangements of mostly-secular Christmas music in a classical (Mozart) style.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} That album went on to sell close to a million copies and together with their following albums and CDs have made HSQ one of the largest selling string quartets in history.

Their debut album was followed in 1988 by What if Mozart Wrote "Roll Over Beethoven" and What if Mozart Wrote "Born to Be Wild" in 1989 and then What if Mozart Wrote "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".

Following the What if Mozart... series, little was heard from the quartet until 1993, when they released an album featuring the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" as its title track, which subsequently was part of the debut album on the label of the cellist's music publishing company, [https://monalisasound.com Mona Lisa Sound]. Since then, the quartet has released three additional albums through Mona Lisa Sound, HSQ Rides Again (2004), HSQ Does Christmas (Again) (2004){{cite news |title=Hampton String Quartet: 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5051697 |access-date=4 March 2021 |work=NPR.org |date=23 December 2005 |language=en}} and Take No Prisoners (2005). Their most recent releases include an all-Beatles CD, The Off-White Album, as well as All Zeppelin.

As of 2018, their current roster consisted of Regis Iandiorio, first violin, Abe Appleman, second violin, Richard Maximoff,{{cite news |last1=Sroka-Holzmann |first1=Pamela |title=The transformation of a historic mansion into a wedding venue |url=https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/2018/02/cool_spaces_historic_mansion_t.html |access-date=4 March 2021 |work=lehighvalleylive |date=25 February 2018 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Dunaway-Seale |first1=Jaime |title=These notable alums will be inducted into the Woodrow Wilson Hall of Fame |url=https://lakewood.advocatemag.com/2019/09/09/woodrow-hall-of-fame-inducteees/ |access-date=4 March 2021 |work=Lakewood/East Dallas |date=9 September 2019}} viola and John Reed, cello, all of whom except Appleman are original members.