Jimmy Smith

Nobody made a Hammond B-3 organ bop and swing like Jimmy Smith, an accomplished jazz pianist who launched his first organ trio in 1955—the same year the instrument was introduced. Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in the late ’20s, Smith cut his teeth in Philadelphia R&B bands, then shifted to the Hammond exclusively after hearing organ-trio pioneer Wild Bill Davis. Smith's subtly percussive Hammond sound—more saxophone than symphony—found immediate favour with Blue Note Records, for whom he recorded more than 40 sessions, beginning with A New Sound - A New Star, Vol. 1, in 1956. "The Incredible Jimmy Smith", as he soon became known, fused jazz and soul on ferociously funky Blue Note and Verve tracks, including 20-minute workout "The Sermon" (1959), a richly orchestrated "Walk on the Wild Side" (1962), and "Root Down and Get It" (1972), later sampled by the Beastie Boys. Smith's career benefited from the '80s acid-jazz movement he inspired, and he worked steadily until his death in 2005, leaving nearly 100 albums as his legacy.