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.
There Is No Greater Love
Lou Donaldson Lyrics
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Than what I feel for you
No greater love,
No heart so true
There is no greater thrill
Than what you bring to me
No sweeter song
You're the sweetest thing
I have ever known
And to think that
You are mine alone.
There is no greater love
In all the world, it's true
No greater love
Than what I feel for you
You're the sweetest thing
I have ever known,
And to think that
You are mine alone.
There is no greater love
In all the world, it's true
No greater love
Than what I feel for you
The lyrics to Lou Donaldson's song "There Is No Greater Love" express the profound depth of the singer's love for his significant other. The opening lines, "There is no greater love than what I feel for you, no greater love, no heart so true," explicitly states that the love he holds in his heart for his lover is unparalleled and sincere. The singer then goes on to express the sheer joy and bliss this love brings him, stating, "There is no greater thrill than what you bring to me, no sweeter song than what you sing to me." It's evident that the love he shares with his lover is an incredibly harmonious one, filled with mutual care and affection.
The lyrics then take another personal turn as the singer expresses that his lover is the sweetest thing he has ever known, and the idea of having them to himself brings him immense happiness. The final verse reiterates the song's central message that there is simply no greater love in the world than what he feels for his lover. The lyrics are simple yet convey a genuine and unabashed declaration of love.
Line by Line Meaning
There is no greater love
The feeling of love that I have for you is incomparable
Than what I feel for you
I cannot express how much love I have for you
No greater love,
Absolutely nothing can surpass the love that I have for you
No heart so true
Your love is the purest I have ever known
There is no greater thrill
The excitement I feel when I am with you is unmatched
Than what you bring to me
Your presence and love adds tremendous value to my life
No sweeter song
Your words and actions towards me are the sweetest thing I have ever experienced
Than what you sing to me
The way you express your love towards me through your words and actions is the sweetest thing ever
You're the sweetest thing
You are the most loving person I have ever known
I have ever known
I have not come across anyone who loves me as deeply as you do
And to think that
The mere thought of knowing and being with you fills me with joy
You are mine alone.
I feel grateful to have you to myself and be the recipient of your pure love
In all the world, it's true
My love for you is not limited by worldly distances or factors, it is true and pure
No greater love
I cannot think of any other kind of love that can surpass the love I have for you
Than what I feel for you
My love for you is sacred, genuine and the most profound
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ISHAM JONES, MARTY SYMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind