Lou Donaldson discography

This is the discography for American jazz musician Lou Donaldson.

Donaldson with Dr. Lonnie Smith (organ). Photo by Tom Beetz

As leader

Recording date	Title	Label	Year released	Notes
1952-06, 1952-11	New Faces New Sounds (Lou Donaldson Quintet/Quartet)	Blue Note BLP 5021	1953	[10" LP]
1953-06	New Faces New Sounds (Lou Donaldson/Clifford Brown Quintet)	Blue Note BLP 5030	1953	[10" LP]
1952-11, 1954-08	Quartet/Quintet/Sextet	Blue Note BLP 1537	1957
1954-08	Lou Donaldson Sextet, Vol. 2	Blue Note BLP 5055	1954	[10" LP]
1957-01	Wailing With Lou	Blue Note BLP 1545	1957
1957-06	Swing and Soul	Blue Note BLP 1566	1957
1957-12	Lou Takes Off	Blue Note BLP 1591	1958
1958-07	Blues Walk	Blue Note BLP 1593	1958
1958-12	Light-Foot	Blue Note BLP 4053	1959
1959-02	LD + 3 with The Three Sounds	Blue Note BLP 4012	1959
1959-10, 1959-11	The Time Is Right	Blue Note BLP 4025	1960
1960-02	Sunny Side Up	Blue Note BLP 4036	1961
1960-07	Midnight Sun	Blue Note/UA LT-1028	1980
1961-01	Here 'Tis	Blue Note BLP 4066	1961
1961-04	Gravy Train	Blue Note BLP 4079	1962
1961-09, 1963-06	A Man With a Horn	Blue Note/EMI 21436	1999
1962-05	The Natural Soul	Blue Note BLP 4108	1963
1963-01	Good Gracious!	Blue Note BLP 4125	1964
1963-07	Signifyin'	Argo LP 724	1963
1964-01	Possum Head	Argo LP 734	1964
1964-06	Cole Slaw	Argo LP 747	1964
1964-12	Rough House Blues	Cadet LPS 768	1965
1965-06	Musty Rusty	Argo LPS 759	1965
1965-08	Fried Buzzard	Cadet LPS 842	1970	Live
1965-08	Lou Donaldson at His Best	Cadet LPS 815	1969	This is NOT a "best of/hits" compilation; it is an album of all new session recordings.
1966-08	Blowing in the Wind	Cadet LPS 789	1967
1967-01	Sweet Slumber Reissued as Lush Life (Blue Note BST 84254, 1986)	Blue Note [Japan] GXF 3068	1980
1967-04	Alligator Bogaloo	Blue Note BLP 4263	1967
1967-10	Mr. Shing-A-Ling	Blue Note BLP 4271	1968
1968-03	Midnight Creeper	Blue Note BST 84280	1968
1968-11	Say It Loud!	Blue Note BST 84299	1969
1969-04	Hot Dog	Blue Note BST 84318	1969
1969-08, 1970-01	Everything I Play Is Funky	Blue Note BST 84337	1970
1970-01, 1970-06	Pretty Things	Blue Note BST 84359	1970
1970-11	The Scorpion: Live At The Cadillac Club	Blue Note/EMI 31876	1995	Live
1971-07	Cosmos	Blue Note BST 84370	1971
1972-12	Sophisticated Lou	Blue Note/UA BN-LA 024-G	1973
1973-04	Sassy Soul Strut	Blue Note/UA BN-LA 109-F	1973
1974-03	Sweet Lou	Blue Note/UA BN-LA 259-G	1974
1976-04	A Different Scene	Cotillion SD 9905	1976
1976-12	Color as a Way of Life	Cotillion SD 9915	1977
1981-01	Sweet Poppa Lou	Muse MR 5247	1981
1981-07	Forgotten Man	Timeless SJP 153	1982
1981-07	Back Street	Muse MR 5292	1982
1984-01	Live in Bologna	Timeless SJP 202	1986	Live
1990-12	Play the Right Thing	Milestone MCD 9190	1991
1992-04	Birdseed	Milestone MCD 9198	1992
1993-07	Caracas	Milestone MCD 9217	1993
1994-08	Sentimental Journey	Columbia CK 66790	1995
1999-11	Relaxing at Sea: Live on the QE2	Chiaroscuro CRD 366	2000	Live

Compilations

• Ha' Mercy (Cadet 2CA 60007, 1971) [2LP]
• The Best of Lou Donaldson: Signifyin' (Affinity/Charly ARC-509, 1991)
• The Best of Lou Donaldson, Volume 1: (1957–1967) (Blue Note/EMI 27298, 1993)
• The Righteous Reed! The Best of Poppa Lou (Blue Note/EMI 30721, 1994) – rec. 1967–73
• The Best of Lou Donaldson, Vol. II: The Blue Note Years (Blue Note/EMI 37745, 1996) – rec. 1967–70
• Blue Breakbeats (Blue Note/EMI 94709, 1998)
• The Artist Selects (Blue Note/EMI 31434, 2005)

As co-leader

Quartet with Jimmy Smith

• V.A., One Night with Blue Note Volume 3 (Blue Note, 1985)
• V.A., One Night With Blue Note Preserved (Blue Note, 1985)

As sideman

With Art Blakey

• A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 (Blue Note, 1954)[10" LP]
• A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 (Blue Note, 1954)[10"]
• A Night at Birdland Vol. 3 (Blue Note, 1954)[10"]

With Milt Jackson

• Milt Jackson: Wizard of the Vibes (Blue Note, 1952)[10"] – rec. 1948–52
• All Star Bags (Blue Note, 1976) [2LP] – compilation/rec. 1952–57

With Thelonious Monk

• Genius of Modern Music: Volume 1 (Blue Note, 1951)[10"] – rec. 1947
• Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2 (Blue Note, 1952)[10"] – rec. 1951–52

With Jimmy Smith

• A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One (Blue Note, 1957)
• A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two (Blue Note, 1957)
• Jimmy Smith at the Organ Vol. One (Blue Note, 1957)
• Jimmy Smith at the Organ Vol. Two (Blue Note, 1957)
• House Party (Blue Note, 1958)
• The Sermon! (Blue Note, 1959) – rec. 1957–58
• Rockin' the Boat (Blue Note, 1963)
• Confirmation (Blue Note, 1979) – rec. 1958
• Cool Blues (Blue Note, 1980) – live rec. 1958
• Jimmy Smith Trio + LD (Blue Note, 1985) – rec. 1957

With others

• Gene Ammons, All Star Sessions (Prestige, 1956) – rec. 1950–55
• Clifford Brown, Memorial Album (Blue Note, 1956) – rec. 1953
• Junior Mance, Mance (Chiaroscuro, 2000) also with Etta Jones – rec. 1998
• Horace Silver, Horace Silver Quartet With Lou Donaldson: Live In New York 1953 (Solar, 2014) – live rec. 1953