Lonnie Smith (jazz musician)

Not to be confused with organist Lonnie Liston Smith.
Lonnie Smith
Background information
Born (1942-07-03) July 3, 1942
Lackawanna, New York, United States
Genres Jazz, soul jazz
Occupation(s) Organist
Instruments Organ
Labels Pilgrimage Records Blue Note Records
Notable instruments
Hammond B3

Lonnie Smith (born July 3, 1942), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, is an American jazz Hammond B3 organist.

Early life

He was born in Lackawanna, New York,[1] into a family with a vocal group and radio program. Smith says that his mother was a major influence on him musically, as she introduced him to gospel, classical, and jazz music. He was part of several vocal ensembles in the 1950s, including the Teen Kings. Art Kubera, the owner of a local music store, gave Smith his first organ, a Hammond B3.[2]

George Benson Quartet

Smith's affinity for R&B melded with his own personal style as he became active in the local music scene. He moved to New York City, where he met George Benson, the guitarist for Jack McDuff's band. Benson and Smith connected on a personal level, and the two formed the George Benson Quartet, featuring Lonnie Smith, in 1966.

Solo career; Finger Lickin' Good

After two albums under Benson's leadership, It's Uptown and Cookbook, Smith recorded his first solo album (Finger Lickin' Good) in 1967, with George Benson and Melvin Sparks on guitar, Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, and Marion Booker on drums. This combination remained stable for the next five years.

After recording several albums with Benson, Smith became a solo recording artist and has since recorded over 30 albums under his own name. Numerous prominent jazz artists have joined Smith on his albums and in his live performances, including Lee Morgan, David "Fathead" Newman, King Curtis, Terry Bradds, Blue Mitchell, Joey DeFrancesco and Joe Lovano.[2]

Blue Note Records

In 1967, Smith met Lou Donaldson, who put him in contact with Blue Note Records. Donaldson asked the quartet to record an album for Blue Note, Alligator Bogaloo. Blue Note signed Smith for the next four albums, all in the soul jazz style, including Think (with Melvin Sparks, Marion Booker, Lee Morgan and David Newman) and Turning Point (with Lee Morgan, Bennie Maupin, Melvin Sparks and Idris Muhammad).

Smith's next album Move Your Hand was recorded at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August 1969. The album's reception allowed his reputation to grow beyond the Northeast. He recorded another studio album, Drives, and another live album unreleased at the time, Live at Club Mozambique (recorded in Detroit on May 21, 1970), before leaving Blue Note.

1970s tours

Smith toured the northeastern United States heavily during the 1970s. He concentrated largely on smaller neighborhood venues during this period. His sidemen included Ronnie Cuber, Dave Hubbard, Bill Easley and George Adams on sax, Donald Hahn on trumpet, George Benson, Perry Hughes, and Larry McGee on guitars, and Joe Dukes, Sylvester Goshay, Phillip Terrell, Marion Booker, Jimmy Lovelace, Charles Crosby, Art Gore, Norman Connors and Bobby Durham on drums.

Performances

Smith has performed at several prominent jazz festivals with artists including Grover Washington, Jr., Ron Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Lou Donaldson and Ron Holloway. He has also played with musicians outside of jazz, such as Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Etta James, and Esther Phillips.[3]

Accolades

He was named the "Organ Keyboardist of the Year" in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014 by the Jazz Journalist Association.[1]

Personal life

In the mid-1970s, Smith became known as "Dr. Lonnie Smith" although the honorific does not represent an academic doctorate degree. Regarding his turban, Smith claims it's an authentic Sikh wrap.[4]

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Eric Allison

With George Benson

With Bobby Broom

With Karl Denson's Tiny Universe

With Lou Donaldson

With Richie Hart

With Red Holloway

With Javon Jackson

With Rodney Jones

With Jimmy McGriff

With Jimmy Ponder

With Akira Tana

References

  1. 1 2 Gilbreath, Mikayla (2008-01-07). "Dr. Lonnie Smith: Organ Guru". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  2. 1 2 Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira; assistance from Swing Journal (2007) [1999]. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. New York City, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 612. ISBN 978-0-19-532000-8. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  3. ↑ "Lonnie Smith". Indie Jazz. Radical Moodswinger Music. 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  4. ↑ "Jazz Articles: Dr. Lonnie Smith: The Doctor Is In! - By Bill Bennett — Jazz Articles". Jazztimes.com. Retrieved 1 March 2016.

External links

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