Greely Walton
Greely Walton (October 4, 1904 in Mobile, Alabama – October 9, 1993) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Walton played violin in his youth before settling on saxophone, and studied music at the University of Pittsburgh in the 1920s. He worked first with Elmer Snowden in 1926, then with Benny Carter (1929) and for an extended period with Luis Russell (1930–37). During this time Russell's ensemble was occasionally led by Red Allen, and served as Louis Armstrong's backing ensemble for a period. After leaving Russell, Walton worked with Vernon Andrade (1938), Horace Henderson (1941), Cootie Williams as a baritone saxophonist (1942–43), and Cab Calloway (1943–45). From 1945-47 he acted as musical director for The Ink Spots, and played with Noble Sissle and Sy Oliver towards the end of the decade. He did work in radio and television in the 1950s before retiring from music in that decade. |
Birth and Death Data: Died October 9, 1993
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, clarinet, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 48 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-48333 | 10-in. | 2/1/1929 | Call of the freaks | King Oliver Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, clarinet | |
| Victor | BVE-48334 | 10-in. | 2/1/1929 | The trumpet's prayer | King Oliver Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, clarinet | |
| Victor | BVE-49649 | 10-in. | 1/16/1929 | Freakish light blues | King Oliver Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, clarinet | |
| Victor | BVE-49650 | 10-in. | 1/16/1929 | West End blues | King Oliver Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, clarinet | |
| Victor | BRC-70195 | 10-in. | 8/28/1931 | You rascal you | Henry Allen ; Luis Russell Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BRC-70196 | 10-in. | 8/28/1931 | Goin' to town | Chick Bullock ; Luis Russell Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BRC-70197 | 10-in. | 8/28/1931 | Say the word | Chick Bullock ; Luis Russell Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BRC-70198 | 10-in. | 8/28/1931 | Freakish blues | Luis Russell Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Columbia | W148533 | 10-in. | 5/15/1929 | I got what it takes (But it breaks my heart to give it away) | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with instrumental quintet | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Columbia | W148534 | 10-in. | 5/15/1929 | Nobody knows you when you're down and out | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with instrumental quintet | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Brunswick | E35758 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Saratoga drag | Luis Russell Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Mercury | 173 | 10-in. | 12/11/1945 | Cherry red blues | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | 174 | 10-in. | 12/11/1945 | Somebody's got to go | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | 175 | 10-in. | December, 1945? | Too many women blues | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | 176 | 10-in. | December, 1945? | Just a dream | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | HU-446 | 10-in. | Late 1945 | Mr. Cleanhead steps out | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | HU-447 | 10-in. | Late 1945 | It's a groovy affair | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | HU-448 | 10-in. | Late 1945 | I've been so good | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | HU-449 | 10-in. | Late 1945 | Juice head baby | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | 634 | 10-in. | November, 1946 | Kidney stew blues | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | 636 | 10-in. | November, 1946 | Old maid boogie | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | 1119 | 10-in. | 6/26/1947 | Ever-ready blues | Eddie Vinson Orchestra | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Mercury | 1578 | 10-in. | 12/28/1947 | I took the front door in | Eddie Vinson Orchestra ; John Hunt | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | ||
| Decca | 60021 | 10-in. | 10/3/1935 | I'm in the mood for love | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 60022 | 10-in. | 10/3/1935 | You're my lucky star | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Walton, Greely," accessed December 11, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112490.
Walton, Greely. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112490.
"Walton, Greely." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 11 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Greely Walton
Discogs: Greely Walton
Allmusic: Greely Walton
Grove: Greely Walton
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Walton, Greely, 1904-1993 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2004069587
Wikidata: Greely Walton - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5602151
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/51881463
MusicBrainz: Greely Walton - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c9f6c261-9a55-4be1-bf92-ff34449ff988
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1773217 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1773217
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