One of the giants of the mighty Hammond B-3 Organ, Jimmy Smith, was born on December 8, 1925 (or 1928 by some accounts) in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He was a jazz musician whose records regularly appeared on the top 40, even in an era dominated by rock and roll. Although the electric organ had been used in jazz prior to Smith, his improvisation and juxtaposition of a soul-jazz feel and rapid single note bebop lines, along with the combination of the B-3 with a Leslie tower made him perhaps the most influential organist in the history of jazz.

When Jimmy Smith was nine years old he won a contest on a Philadelphia radio station playing boogie-woogie on the piano. He had started teaching himself to play when he was six. In the late 1940s, after spending some time in the U.S. Navy, Smith attended the Royal Hamilton College of Music and the Leo Ornstein School of Music. In the early 1950s he could be found playing regularly around the Philadelphia area.

Smith switched to performing on organ full time in 1954. He bought a Hammond organ and rented warehouse space in which to practice. After hearing Smith play in a club, Alfred Lion signed him to his Blue Note label and Jimmy released five albums in his first year under contract. He quickly became known as one of the most promising young stars on the jazz scene. Smith stayed with the label for eight years and produced the hit albums “The Champ,” “Home Cookin’” and “Back at the Chicken Shack.”

In 1962 Jimmy signed with Verve Records. While there he recorded with small groups and also in big band settings. He played with Oliver Nelson, Kenny Burrell, George Benson, Wes Montgomery and Lalo Schifrin. His live performances were nearly always in a trio setting with guitar and drums. During the 1970s Smith owned a Los Angeles club where he played and recorded regularly.

During the 1980s and 1990s Jimmy Smith recorded with Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, The Beastie Boys, B.B. King, Etta James, Dr. John and Dee Dee Bridgewater. He also performed and recorded with protege Joey DeFrancesco. Jimmy Smith died of natural causes at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2004.

Here is a link to Jimmy Smith performing on German television:

"THE CAT"