Donaldson attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro in the early 1940s. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was trained at the Great Lakes bases in Chicago, where he was introduced to bop music in the lively club scene there. At the war's conclusion, he returned to Greensboro, where he worked club dates with the Rhythm Vets, a combo composed of A and T students who had served in the U.S. Navy. The band recorded the soundtrack to a musical comedy featurette, "Pitch a Boogie Woogie," in Greenville, North Carolina, in the summer of 1947. The movie had a limited run at black audience theatres in 1948 but its production company, Lord-Warner Pictures, folded and never made another film. "Pitch a Boogie Woogie" was subsequently restored by the American Film Institute in 1985 and re-premiered on the campus of East Carolina University in Greenville the following year. Donaldson and the surviving members of the Vets performed a reunion concert after the film's showing. In the documentary made on "Pitch" by UNC-TV, "Boogie in Black and White", Donaldson and his musical cohorts recall the film's making—he originally believed that he had played clarinet on the soundtrack. A short piece of concert footage from a gig in Fayetteville, North Carolina, is included in the documentary.
Donaldson's first jazz recordings were with the Charlie Singleton Orchestra in 1950 and then with bop emissaries Milt Jackson and Thelonious Monk in 1952, and he participated in several small groups with other jazz luminaries such as trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Horace Silver and drummer Art Blakey.
In 1953, he also recorded sessions with the trumpet virtuoso Clifford Brown, and Philly Joe Jones.
He was a member of Art Blakey's Quintet and appeared on some of their best regarded albums, including the two albums recorded at Birdland in February 1954 Night at Birdland.
Donaldson has recorded in the bop, hard bop, and soul jazz genres. For many years his pianist was Herman Foster.
He was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame on October 11, 2012.
Danny Boy
Lou Donaldson Lyrics
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From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
You'll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
The lyrics to Lou Donaldson's "Danny Boy" tell a story of a loved one departing from someone who adores them. The first verse sets the scene of the mountainside and the changing of seasons. It is clear that the person delivering the lyrics is staying behind while the other is called away by the "pipes." In the second verse, the listener is told that they will be waiting for their loved one's return when the snow arrives, whether it be in "sunshine or shadow." The following lines speak of the inevitability of death, which is when the loved one would finally return to find their partner lying in the ground. The pride and devotion the loved one has for the person they are leaving behind are highlighted by the final lines, expressing a desire to rest in peace until their precious one returns.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
Danny, the sound of the bagpipes is calling you
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The echoes of the bagpipes are traveling across the valleys and over the mountains
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
The summer season has ended and the flowers are wilting
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
You need to leave and I need to stay behind
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
When summer returns, come back to me
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
Or when the valley is quiet and covered in snow
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
I'll be here waiting for you, no matter what time of day or condition of the weather
Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!
I love you so, Danny
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
When you return and the flowers have all died
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
If I have already passed away
You'll come and find the place where I am lying,
Come find my grave
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
Kneel and say a prayer for me
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
I will hear you even if you're walking softly above me
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
My burial ground will feel more warm and peaceful
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
You'll lean down and express your love to me
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
And I'll rest peacefully until you return to me
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ARR: PETER HOPE
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