Jimmy Smith

The man who effectively introduced and popularised the Hammond organ in popular music, Jimmy Smith first went on stage at the age of six, joining his father performing song and dance routines. Smith taught himself to play piano and at the age of nine he won a radio talent contest in Philadelphia playing boogie woogie piano. After serving in the navy he studied music at the Royal Hamilton College of Music and the Leo Ornstein School of Music and first started playing Hammond organ in 1951 in bands like Don Gardner & the Sonotones. Organ then became his main instrument and, after signing to Blue Note, he quickly established himself as the hottest new property in jazz following the success of his second hard bop album The Champ in 1956. Subsequent albums like The Sermon, House Party, Home Cookin', Midnight Special and Back At The Sugar Shack fully justified his early reputation and, after transferring to the Verve label in 1962, played with a big band for the first time on his Bashin' album. Notable subsequent collaborations include Lalo Schifrin (on The Cat), Wes Montgomery (The Dynamic Duo, Further Adventures Of Jimmy And Wes), Kenny Burrell (Blue Bash, Organ Grinder's Swing) and George Benson (Got My Mojo Working, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, Root Down). Smith also went on to record with Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Dee Dee Bridgewater and Joey De Francesca. Various guest stars, including Elton John, Dr John and B.B. King, featured on his 2000 album Dot Com Blues and he died in his sleep five years later.