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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZDONALDSON, Lou(b 11 Jan. '26, Badin NC) Alto sax. Mother a music teacher, took up clarinet at 15, studied music in US Navy; played with Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt; to NYC, gigs at Five Spot, Half Note etc; Golden Circle in Sweden '65. Funky, bluesy post-Parker style typical of Blue Note in '50s-- 60s and good on ballads; he disliked the avant-garde. Combo from '61 usually incl. organ and guitar. First LPs on Blue Note with Horace Silver; then New Faces, New Sounds '52--3 (two vols with Silver, second with Clifford Brown, Elmo Hope); many own combo LPs '50s, 60s incl. The Time Is Right '59, Midnight Sun '60 with Horace Parlan, Here 'Tis '61 with organist Baby Face Willette, The Natural Soul '62, Good Gracious '63 with John Patton on organ. Then on Argo for Signifyin' '63, Possom Head '64 with Patton; Rough House Blues '64 was nonet arr. by Oliver Nelson. Back on Blue Note Sweet Slumber was nonet incl. Ron Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Pepper Adams and McCoy Tyner; Alligator Boogaloo '67, Midnight Creeper '68 had George Benson and Lonnie Smith; Say It Loud '68, Hot Dog and Everything I Play Is Funky '69 featured Charles Earland. The Scorpion: Live At The Cadillac Club '70 was issued on Blue Note; Cosmos '71 incl. girl vocal trio; Sophisticated Lou '72 strings. Sweet Lou '74 on Blue Note, A Different Scene '76 and Color As A Way Of Life '77 on Cotillion had big bands and vocalists; back to combos with Forgotten Man '81 on Timeless (he sang on 'Whiskey Drinkin' Woman'), Sweet Papa Lou '81 and Back Street '82 on Muse. The Natural Soul, albums with Benson, Earland, Sassy Soul Strut '73 and Sweet Lou all made Billboard top 200 pop LPs. Play The Right Thing '90 with Lonnie Smith, Birdseed and Caracas '92--3 were all on Milestone; Sentimental Journey '94 on Columbia with Smith and rhythm section was a superb mainstream outing: they've long since been able to make it sound easy. |