Saxophone players often play different mouthpieces through their musical life. This page identifies some major saxophonists who have played on Lawton mouthpieces for at least part of their career. Where possible we have provided video footage that shows them with a Lawton mouthpiece and we name the year of the performance.

John Surman - Baritone (video: 1970)

John Surman (b. 1944) is an English virtuoso jazz saxophonist, bass clarinettist and composer For a period around1970 he used a metal Lawton on baritone saxophone (his main instrument) but has since mainly used a metal Berg Larsen.

Sonny Rollins - Tenor (1975)

Sonny Rollins (b.1930) is one of the major figures in jazz - known as the "Saxophone Colossus". During his long career he used a large number of different mouthpieces, particularly a metal Berg Larsen in his later career. For a period in the mid 1970s he used a metal Lawton.

Pepper Adams - Baritone (1979)

Pepper Adams (1930 - 1986) was one of the major jazz baritone saxophonists from the 1950s to the mid 1980s. He played and recorded with the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra and with Charles Mingus as well as many small groups. For a period around 1979-80 he used a metal Lawton.

Jr Walker - tenor (1985)

Junior Walker (1931 -95), tenor saxophonist and vocalist used a metal Berg Larsen mouthpiece for much of his career but changed to a metal Lawton in the mid 1980s.

Frank Foster - Tenor (1986)

Frank Foster (1928 - 2011) was an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer. He joined Count Basie's big band in 1953 and contributed both arrangements and original compositions such as "Shiny Stockings" and "Blues in Hoss' Flat." After Basie's death he succeeded Thad Jones in 1986 as leader of the Count Basie Orchestra.

Ernie Watts - Alto (1986)

Ernie Watts (b. 1945), is an American jazz and rhythm and blues saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. Here is a clip of Ernie on alto playing "Skylark" from a 1980s TV show called Jazzvisions and presented by Roger Kellaway.

Barbara Thompson - Tenor (1994)

Barbara Thompson (1944 - 2022) was an English jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer. At the Royal College of Music (1962-65), she studied the flute, piano, clarinet and composition while also taking private saxophone lessons. She was married to drummer Jon Hiseman who played alongside Barbara in the New Jazz Orchestra (NJO) and Jazz Rock groups Colosseum and Paraphernalia.

John Dankworth - Alto (1996)

Sir John (Johnny) Dankworth (1927 - 2010) was an English jazz saxophonist, clarinettist, composer and band leader. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he was a music educator and also her music director. He played a metal Lawton on his alto for many years and also a special Lawton on C-Melody that was made for him by Geoff Lawton. Spot the cool way he keeps his reed guard on the Lawton mouthpiece while playing in this clip.

Don Braden - Tenor (2010)

Don Braden (b. 1963) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He toured with Wynton Marsalis and has played with jazz greats including JJ Johnson, Freddie Hubbard and the Mingus Big Band.

James carter - Tenor (2015)

James Carter (b. 1969) is an American virtuoso jazz saxophonist and woodwind instrumentalist. He has a large collection of saxophones and multiple Lawton mouthpieces on soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. He was given his first Lawton, for baritone, in 1988 by Hamiet Bluiett and had a full set by 1990.

Ron Holloway - Tenor (2016)

Ron Holloway (b. 1953) is an American tenor saxophonist. He played and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie and later formed his own funk jam band - the Ron Holloway Band (RHB).

Alan Barnes - Baritone (2018)

Alan Barnes (b. 1959) is an award-winning English jazz saxophonist, clarinettist, composer, arranger and band leader. After attending the Leeds College of Music he moved to London and played with the Midnight Follies Orchestra, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and then the Humphrey Lyttleton Band. He also toured and recorded with Bryan Ferry and has narrated as well as performed several suites that he composed. On baritone he uses an ebonite Lawton.

Jay Craig - Baritone (2020)

Jay Craig (b. 1958 in Edinburgh) played with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra for four years before winning a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. After two years at Berklee he left to play baritone with the Buddy Rich big band and spent three years touring the US and Europe with that group. Jay moved to London in 1987 and has played baritone with the BBC Big Band, Echoes of Ellington and Back to Basie as well as the John Wilson orchestra and also plays baritone and bassoon as a theatre musician in the West End.

Houston Person - Tenor (2021)

Houston Person (b. 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. He spent many years playing and recording with Etta Jones and has recorded more than 75 albums as a band leader. He has used a metal Lawton mouthpiece for more than 40 years.

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