Leon Washington

Leon Diamond Washington (June 27, 1909, Jackson, Mississippi – February 19, 1973, Chicago) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

Born in Mississippi, Washington grew up in Chicago from the age of three. He started on clarinet before moving on to tenor saxophone, and studied under Santy Runyon. After finishing high school, he played professionally from 1926, joining Zinky Cohn's band and recording with Frankie Franko (1930) and Bernie Young & the Creolians (1931–33). He played with Carroll Dickerson from 1934-35 at the Sunset Cafe in Chicago, then played briefly with Louis Armstrong in 1935.

He played with Earl Hines in 1937, before joining Red Saunders' group, where he remained for the next 25 years, recording with him extensively in addition to occasionally releasing material under his own name. Leaving Saunders' band in 1963, he became an official at the Chicago musicians' union.

Washington died of leukemia in 1973.

Birth and Death Data: Died February 19, 1973

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1936 - 1953

Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor saxophone, saxophone

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 39 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor D6AB-1822 10-in. 2/18/1946 That's my gal Original Honeydrippers ; Roosevelt Sykes Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Victor D6AB-1823 10-in. 2/18/1946 Tonight Original Honeydrippers ; Roosevelt Sykes Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Victor D6AB-1824 10-in. 2/18/1946 Living in a different world Original Honeydrippers ; Roosevelt Sykes Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Victor D6AB-1825 10-in. 2/18/1946 Sunny road Original Honeydrippers ; Roosevelt Sykes Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5170 10-in. 6/15/1950 Blow, Mr. Low-Blow Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5171 10-in. 6/15/1950 Sharecropper boogie Miss Sharecropper ; Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5172 10-in. 6/15/1950 Chi (Chicago) Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5173 10-in. 6/15/1950 Lyin' girl blues Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5251 10-in. 4/20/1951 Stop, pretty baby, stop Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5252 10-in. 6/15/1950 Mistreatin' woman blues Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5253 10-in. 6/15/1950 Week day blues Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5254 10-in. 4/20/1951 4 a.m. Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5278 10-in. 8/24/1951 Last night's party Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5279 10-in. 8/24/1951 Hey bartender Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5280 10-in. 8/24/1951 Boot 'em up Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5281 10-in. 8/24/1951 Sugar bounce Red Saunders Orchestra ; Joe Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5284 10-in. 8/25/1951 It's just what you think Ray Orlando ; Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5285 10-in. 8/25/1951 Lonely Ray Orlando ; Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5314 10-in. 1/18/1952 Hambone Hambone Kids ; Dolores Hawkins ; Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and vocal chorus instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5315 10-in. 1/18/1952 La raspa Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5326 10-in. 3/24/1952 Chicken today and feathers tomorrow June Davis ; Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5327 10-in. 3/24/1952 I played the fool June Davis ; Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5328 10-in. 3/24/1952 A long dark hallway (with a low ceiling) Red Saunders Orchestra ; Barbara Reeves Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5329 10-in. 3/24/1952 Don't go Red Saunders Orchestra ; Barbara Reeves Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
Columbia CCO5330 10-in. 4/3/1953 Zeke'l Zeke'l Hambone Kids ; Red Saunders Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal chorus instrumentalist, tenor saxophone  
(Results 1-25 of 39 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Washington, Leon," accessed December 12, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350116.

Washington, Leon. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350116.

"Washington, Leon." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 12 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350116

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