Don Patterson (July 22, 1936 – February 10, 1988) was an American
jazz organist.
Early life
Patterson played piano from childhood and was heavily influenced by
Erroll Garner in his youth. In 1956, he switched to organ after hearing
Jimmy Smith play the instrument.
Career
In the early 1960s, he began playing regularly with
Sonny Stitt, and he began releasing material as a leader on
Prestige Records from 1964 (with
Pat Martino and
Billy James as sidemen). His most commercially successful album was 1964's Holiday Soul, which reached #85 on the
Billboard 200 in 1967.[1]
Personal life
Patterson's troubles with
drug addiction hobbled his career in the 1970s, during which he occasionally recorded for
Muse Records and lived in
Gary, Indiana.[2] In the 1980s, he moved to Philadelphia and made a small comeback, but his health deteriorated over the course of the decade, and he died there in 1988.
The Best Of Don Patterson & The Jazz Giants (Prestige 7772, 1969)
Sonny Stitt/Booker Ervin/Don Patterson – Soul People (Prestige, 1993) (compilation of Soul People + 2 tracks from Tune Up!, and 1 track previously unissued from the Soul Happening! sessions)
Dem New York Dues (Prestige, 1995) (compilation of Opus De Don + Oh Happy Day)
Legends Of Acid Jazz: Don Patterson/Booker Ervin (Prestige, 1996) (compilation of The Exciting New Organ Of Don Patterson + 1 track from Hip Cake Walk, and 1 track from Patterson's People)
Legends Of Acid Jazz: Sonny Stitt/Don Patterson, Vol. 2 (Prestige, 1999) (compilation of Funk You! + Soul Electricity!)
Legends Of Acid Jazz: Sonny Stitt (with Don Patterson) – Low Flame (Prestige, 1999) (compilation of Low Flame + Shangri-La)
Legends Of Acid Jazz: Don Patterson/Booker Ervin/Houston Person – Just Friends (Prestige, 1999) (compilation of Four Dimensions, Hip Cake Walk [4 tracks], Patterson's People [2 tracks] + 1 track from Tune Up!)
The Boss Men (Prestige, 2001) (compilation of Night Crawler, The Boss Men + 2 tracks from Patterson's People)
Brothers 4 (Prestige, 2001) (compilation of Brothers-4, Donny Brook + 1 track from Tune Up!)