In 2013, Hampton was named among the "Top 50 Best Singers of Country and Western Singers of All Time" by American Cowboy magazine (alongside performers like George Strait, Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Gene Autry) and has won acclaim and countless awards singing songs celebrating the Western way of life.
In 1984, he released his first album, Travelin' Light, with appearances at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.[citation needed] Kenny Rogers chose Hampton to play himself, a cowboy singing at the campfire, in the television movie, Wild Horses.
The one-man stage play The Last Cowboy was written with Hampton's brother Jeff, and playwright Dave Marquis in 1993.
It was praised by Western Horseman magazine for what it described as Hampton's "deep, velvety vocals, idyllic lyrics and cowboy authenticity" which has "captivated audiences worldwide.
"[1]In late 2013 American Cowboy Magazine released their Legends Collector's Edition where they listed Hampton among the "Top 50 Greatest Country & Western Singers of All Time" along with Johnny Cash, Roy Rogers, George Strait, Hank Williams, Ian Tyson, and Chris LeDoux.
"[citation needed] Other musicians on the list included Riders in the Sky, Michael Martin Murphey, Tom Russell and Don Edwards.
"My Country's Not For Sale" stayed at the top of the Western Music radio charts for the entire 12 months of 2014 and the album "This Cowboy" was listed at No.
Hampton has won industry awards for his performing and songwriting fifteen times, notably in November 2011, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Western Music Association.
[4][failed verification] The Western Music Association inducted him into the Association's Hall of Fame in 2011,[citation needed] and have voted him Top Male Performer for 2004 and 2010, [citation needed]and his composition, "For the Freedom" (from his Western gospel album, I Believe) won the 2006 WMA Song of the Year.
[citation needed] In September 2009, Hampton received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Cowboy Culture.
The Distinguished Staff Alumni Award (DSAA) is presented annually by the Philmont Staff Association (PSA) to recognize “distinguished or exceptional personal success or achievement on a national or international level by a current or former Philmont staff member, in any field of human endeavor, that brings honor and credit to the legacy of the Philmont staff.” Previous recipients include Wally Berg, internationally known mountaineer and explorer; the late Steve Fossett, world record aviator and adventurer, and Rick Searfoss, former NASA astronaut and space shuttle commander.
The award is presented to a living honoree that has made outstanding contributions as an individual, group or institution toward perpetuating the ideals, history and heritage of the American West, whether by a single remarkable achievement or a body of quality work over a period of years.
Hampton has performed on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, the American Folklife Festival at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., British Country Music Awards in Surrey, England, The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (for more than 20 years) at the Western Folklife Center in Elko, NV., Red Steagall's Cowboy Gathering in Fort Worth, TX, and has toured extensively across the United States as well as Australia, Canada and South America.
As an actor, Hampton has appeared in "Kenny Rogers & The American Cowboy," (1979) "Wild Horses," (1985) "Independence," (1987) "The Gambler III," (1987) "Long Arm," (1988), "The Tracker," (1988) "Desperado II," (1988) "Lucky Luke," (1991) "Doc West," (2009) "Cactus Creek," (2010), "In the Bunkhouse with Red Steagall," (2011), "Sundown" (2013 - 2014), "Canyon Trail" (2015), "Red Steagall is West of Wall Street (2021) and "What Remains" (2022).