Hugh Lawson was one of many talented Detroit jazz pianists of the 1950s (although one of the lesser-known players).

Inspired by Bud Powell

Bud Powell

Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...

, Hampton Hawes

Hampton Hawes

Hampton Hawes was an American bebop and hard-bop jazz pianist, recognized as one of the finest and most influential of the 1950s.-Biography:...

 and arguably Bill Evans

Bill Evans

William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...

, Lawson first gained recognition for his work with Yusef Lateef

Yusef Lateef

Dr. Yusef Lateef is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.Although Lateef's main instruments are the tenor saxophone and flute, he is known for...

 during the late '50s. He recorded with Harry "Sweets" Edison (1962), Roy Brooks

Roy Brooks

Roy Brooks was an American hard bop jazz drummer.-Biography:Brooks was born in Detroit and drummed since childhood. He was an outstanding varsity basketball player as a teenager and was offered a scholarship to the Detroit Institute of Technology; he attended the school for three semesters and...

, and Lateef on several occasions in the 1960s. In 1972, he was with the Piano Choir (a group with seven pianists, among which Stanley Cowell

Stanley Cowell

Stanley Cowell is an American jazz pianist and founder of the Strata-East Records label. He played with Roland Kirk while studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and later with Marion Brown, Max Roach, Bobby Hutcherson, Clifford Jordan, Harold Land, Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz...

, Sonelius Smith, and Harold Mabern

Harold Mabern

Harold Mabern is a hard bop and soul jazz pianist.Early in his career, Mabern played in Chicago with Walter Perkins' MJT + 3 in the late 1950s before moving to New York in 1959. Mabern has worked with Jimmy Forrest, Lionel Hampton, the Jazztet , Donald Byrd, Miles Davis , J. J...

). Lawson went on tours with Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...

 in 1975 and 1977 and made recordings with Charlie Rouse

Charlie Rouse

Charlie Rouse was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by the collaboration for more than ten years with Thelonious Monk.- Biography :...

 (1977), George Adams

George Adams (musician)

George Rufus Adams was an American jazz musician who played tenor saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. He is best known for his work with Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Roy Haynes and in the quartet he co-led with pianist Don Pullen, featuring bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Dannie Richmond...

, and as a leader for Jazzcraft (a session later reissued on Storyville) and Soul Note.

Lawson died of colon cancer in White Plains, NY, March 11, 1997, at the age of 61.

As sideman

With George Adams

George Adams (musician)

George Rufus Adams was an American jazz musician who played tenor saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. He is best known for his work with Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Roy Haynes and in the quartet he co-led with pianist Don Pullen, featuring bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Dannie Richmond...

 & Dannie Richmond

Dannie Richmond

Dannie Richmond was an American drummer who was best known among jazz fans for his work with Charles Mingus, and among pop fans for his work with Joe Cocker, Elton John and Mark-Almond....

• Hand to Hand
  Hand to Hand (album)
  -Track listing:# "The Cloocker" - 9:08# "Yamani's Passion" - 10:55# "For Dee J." - 8:07# "Joobubie" - 11:20*Recorded at Barigozzi Studio in Milano, Italy on February 13 & 14, 1980-Personnel:*George Adams – tenor saxophone, flute...
  
  (Soul Note, 1980)
• Gentleman's Agreement
  Gentleman's Agreement (album)
  -Track listing:# "More Sightings" - 5:10# "Don't Take Your Love from Me" - 4:50# "Symphony for Five" - 11:30# "Prayer for a Jitterbug" - 8:20# "Dream of the Rising Sun" - 6:20# "Rip Off" - 7:36...
  
  (Soul Note, 1983)

With Yusef Lateef

Yusef Lateef

Dr. Yusef Lateef is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.Although Lateef's main instruments are the tenor saxophone and flute, he is known for...

• Jazz 'Round the World
  Jazz 'Round the World
  Jazz 'Round the World is an album by American jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef featuring performances recorded in 1963 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
  
  (Impulse!, 1963)
• A Flat, G Flat and C
  A Flat, G Flat and C
  A Flat, G Flat and C is an album by American jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef, featuring performances recorded in 1966 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating -Track listing:...
  
  (Impulse!, 1966)
• The Golden Flute
  The Golden Flute
  The Golden Flute is an album by American jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef featuring performances recorded in 1966 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
  
  (Impulse!, 1966)
• The Diverse Yusef Lateef
  The Diverse Yusef Lateef
  The Diverse Yusef Lateef is a jazz album by saxophonist Yusef Lateef released in 1970. In it are mixed influences from rhythm and blues and soul music and world music .-Track listing:...
  
  (Atlantic, 1970)

Source

• [ Scott Yanow on Lawson]